Goals and Strategies that go beyond SMART

[Elizabeth Jolley]

We often hear about how goals should be SMART, while always good to measure and ensure goals are achievable, focusing only on SMART goals can lead people to focus more on accomplishing the tasks to check the box, verses understanding the “so what” about the goals. The “so what” is around where the team is striving towards as a long term vision. Get the team to think about what their goals are in service to. Ask them “Why accomplishing the goal really matters?” or “What impact will the goals have in the future?”

When it comes to setting goals, working with teams unlock their “so what” is very powerful. Goals become deeper than checking a box and align a team’s purpose around why these goals matter. As teams share their goals, asking them, “why does that goal matter?” or “what does that goal lead you closer to accomplishing?” can help them gain clarity on where the team needs to go and why that goal matters.

With the understanding as to why the goals matter, when headwinds arise, and the goals shift, the team can look out at their vision and see how these headwinds will help them adjust and be more resilient.

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