Effective team management cannot take place without proper goal setting. How to do it properly? The SMART method comes in handy. It facilitates the correct formulation of goals in the project and increases the chances of achieving them. Smart goals are characterized by five clever assumptions. Get to know them and setting goals will be simple and effective!
Smart Goals or 5 Clever Rules!
SMART goals follow the acronym that makes up the name of the method. The very word SMART translates to smart. The subsequent letters of this name come from the English words: Specific (Specified), Measurable (Measurable), Achievable (Reachable), Relevant (Significant), Time-bound (Defined in time). They express 5 features that a well-defined goal should fulfill. Why are these features so important? And how will set goals based on the SMART method help you manage your team?
Smart Goals – Characteristics
Learn about the characteristics of the five most important characteristics that a well-formulated goal should have and how it relates to the effective management of a team of employees.
S – Specific
The goal is to be clearly and specifically defined. Employees need to know what the goal is about and what to do. No freedom of interpretation can be allowed. Online payday loans Ohio goals are effective and professional. Precision related to the description of the goal and the fact that the goal is easy and understandable in the message is extremely important here. This will help avoid communication errors and misunderstandings.
M – Measurable
The measurability of a goal talks about how we will know when it has been achieved. A well-formulated goal will allow you to check the progress of its implementation at every stage of work, as well as objectively assess its performance. Additionally, you can specify the numerical values you want to obtain and explain to employees how you will measure the effects of their work. Unfortunately, not everything is always measurable, for example, the sense of responsibility or the commitment of individual team members. It is important, therefore, to precisely define the criteria and all requirements for the team that will be assessed. Also, they should understand how a given measure is measured and know the factors affecting its level, as well as have access to the current values. The ideal measures should also trigger the team’s behavior to act in line with the company’s goal and interest.
A – Achievable
Each goal must be achievable. Never delegate something that is not realistic to do. Consider the limitations your team members may face. Can a given goal be achieved in such a short time or with the resources available? Make a real analysis of the situation. The goal should be neither too easy nor too difficult for the team. Good for him to be attractive and ambitious.
R – Relevant
The goal should be important! Don’t outsource irrelevant goals. Don’t let your team’s work be wasted. Always emphasize the importance of tasks performed by individual team members. This will give them meaning and motivation to work. Nobody likes to waste their energy doing trivial or unnecessary things. Sometimes it is worth considering giving up some goals for more important ones. The art of managing to give up any action that does not support the organization’s key goals is essential. Consider whether the chosen goal is high in the hierarchy of the company’s priorities and interests?
T – Time-Bound
Always, always set a time for the task to be completed. However, be careful not to put too much pressure on time, because stress in the team is not anything productive. Do not be afraid to come to you in advance to communicate that they will not be able to deal with something. Sometimes the reason may be other than laziness. Perhaps you involved too few people in the project or you simply misjudged the time of its implementation?
Smart Goals Examples and Possible Mistakes
You already know the most important features of SMART goals. To better understand the concept presented, see also examples of goal formulation and mistakes that may happen to you.
S – A Specific Target
Will the goals such as “I want my employees to cope better at work” or “I want to increase the company’s revenues” consistent with the first principle of the SMART method? Of course not. Because these goals are not specific and do not provide any way to achieve or verify a given assumption. So, what should well-defined goals be? Here are examples of SMART transformed goals:
- “My employees will participate in at least two training a year to improve their competences”
- “I will increase the company’s profits by 10% per annum, improving the sales skills of employees through their participation in workshops.”
The goals formulated in this way allow us to look for further strategies and ways to achieve them. Moreover, it is known how to enforce and measure the achievement of the goal.
Possible mistakes that may happen to you at this stage include:
- Too vague or superficial formulation of the goal.
M – Measurable Goal
If our goal is to “Set aside $10,000 for employee training”, the measure of this goal will be the money set aside in a given period. If our goal is to “Acquire 50 new customers a month”, the measure of this goal will be the number of recorded customers. The measures adopted may be quantitative or valuable. The most important thing is that they should be objective, understandable, and verifiable. Other examples of measures are revenue in a given period, product profitability, response time, timely implementation of projects, opinions of clients or colleagues (survey, scale), number of complaints, etc.
Possible mistakes that may happen to you at this stage include:
- Poorly selected indicators;
- Too detailed indicators about simple tasks or insufficiently specified indicators about difficult tasks;
- Lack of systematic analysis of indicators and concluding;
- No consistency when checking the meters.
A – Achievable Goal
If your goal is for your team of employees to complete a given project by the end of the month, consider whether it is feasible. Or maybe you want to attract more foreign clients? However, is it possible if your employees do not find the foreign language very well? When setting a goal, take into account various resources such as money, time, materials, as well as people and their skills, knowledge, and motivation. List any obstacles that might prevent you from achieving your goal (such as not knowing English). Consider whether the goal you set matches your resources. Try to make the goal even more attractive, for example, promise employees a bonus for completing a task on time or showing special commitment.
Possible mistakes that may happen to you at this stage include:
- Setting a goal that is too ambitious and practically impossible to achieve;
- The goal cannot be implemented, even after it has been achieved;
- Omitting a key point that will allow the achievement of a larger goal;
- Lack of resources.
R – Relevant Goal
Will “acquiring 50 new customers in 3 months” be an important step forward in your company? If YES, it means that the goal is significant and important for the company’s development. Now think about whether it will be perceived as equally important and motivating to action by your team of employees? Are the individual tasks your employees work on important to them? If NO, make them realize the meaning of their work.
Possible mistakes that may happen to you at this stage include:
- The target is not useful and therefore not worthwhile for the team.
T – Time-Bound Goal
How much time do you need to train a new sales team member? How long will it take for your employees to complete the current project for the client? How long does it take to increase company profits by 15%? Remember, the goal that you set for yourself or that you give the team to achieve must be precisely specified in time. Otherwise, your team may spend too much time working on a given task or be under time pressure and make too many mistakes or do the task sloppy. If you break larger tasks into smaller ones, set a time limit to complete each step of the task. Leave yourself a small margin of error, taking into account random situations, e.g., the illness of an important employee.
Possible mistakes that may happen to you at this stage include:
- The deadline set inadequate to the number of tasks,
- No clearly defined completion date.
Smart Goals – Advantages That Not Everyone Knows About
The goals set by the SMART principle have many advantages that are often forgotten by the people managing the team. Primarily:
- They allow for a measurable determination of the real time frame for the performance of the task by the team, thus avoiding unnecessary nervousness;
- Designate measurement units that allow you to objectively control the status of the task;
- Prevent the team from wasting time working on an unimportant or unattainable task;
Smart Goals – Effective in Team Management
The SMART method presented above shows how to quickly and efficiently verify whether we have correctly formulated the goal we want to work on together with a team of employees. It helps us avoid mistakes in management and consider various ways and strategies to achieve the goal. Payday Loans Killeen TX has a clear goal to help people in their financial need. SMART goals are a tool worth reaching for to facilitate effective team management. Moreover, knowing this method is an important skill that you will surely achieve the success you want. Thanks to SMART goals, not only you will be satisfied, but also your well-coordinated team!
