Goals vs. Tasks - Part II

In our last post, we introduced the SMART goal model, and how we can utilize this model in our day-to-day life. As a quick review, the SMART model is defined as:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Attainable

• Realistic

• Time Bound

Last time, we reviewed one of our two example goals; “I want to lose 15 pounds in the next 3 months”. Now, let’s take a look at our other goal example to see how it stands up to the SMART method, and how we can ensure our goal will be successful. 

“I want to be promoted at work”. 

Is this goal specific? Well, not so much. While we have determined that we want to be promoted at work, we haven’t established what role, or even what department, we would like to be promoted to at work. A more specific goal might read, “I want to be promoted to Vice President of Sales at work”. This tells us what department, what role, and assuming our company has an organizational chart in place, how many tiers up our desired role is from our current role.

Is our goal measurable? A clear indication of a measurable goal is ensuring you have at least one number included in your goal. We have established the role we desire to obtain, however we have not determined a date by which this goal should be accomplished. We can expand on our goal by adding a time frame, “I want to be promoted to Vice President of Sales by the end of this year”. Another option of measurement could be to include our desired salary or raise for this promotion; “I want to be promoted to Vice President of Sales with a 10% pay increase”.

Is our goal attainable? Drive, desire, and GRIT will only take us so far with this type of goal, as there are factors at play that are contingent on other stakeholders. With a bit of digging, we find out that the current VP of Sales is being considered to open a new branch by the end of this year, which means the board is already in search of their replacement. Additionally, we take a look at our last 12 months of sales metrics and discovered that we have exceeded our quota all 12 months, and have been top of the dashboard for 10 out of those 12 months. With the need to fill the VP role imminent, and our sales metrics being well above average, we determine this goal is attainable.

Now the challenging one - is our goal realistic? A great first step to determining whether our goal is realistic would be to set a meeting with Human Resources to discuss what the VP’s role requirements are. During this meeting, we establish that we do meet all requirements listed on the job description for this role. Additionally, we find out that there are only 3 total internal names being considered for this promotion, and we are one of those names. With all of that in mind, it seems our goal is in fact realistic. 

And, finally, is our goal time bound? One version of our goal did stipulate a time frame, but lacked measurability. If we combine the two versions, “I want to be promoted to Vice President of Sales, with a 10% pay increase, by the end of this year”, we do indeed have a time bound goal.

The difference between, “I want to be promoted at work”, and, “I want to be promoted to Vice President of Sales, with a 10% pay increase, by the end of this year”, is the difference between a successful outcome and a disappointing outcome. Now that we have our SMART goals, we can move into developing the tasks required to attain our goal, which we will dive into next time.

When you’re ready to take the next step, we’re here for you.