by John Gross
It’s the end of the year — time for family, holiday celebrations, and 2024 planning. First, do you have an annual planning process when you review the past year’s performance, predict next year’s challenges and opportunities, and set your annual goals? If you don’t, then start!
If you do, have you created S.M.A.R.T. goals? S.M.A.R.T. stands for:
- Specific – Narrow your goals for effective management.
- Measurable – Make sure that you can measure progress as well as completion.
- Achievable – Create goals that you can reasonably achieve in the allotted time.
- Relevant – Develop goals that support your long-term objectives.
- Time-bound – Set realistic end dates to help with prioritization and focus.
S.M.A.R.T. goals help focus your efforts and increase the chances of achieving your goals.
Specific: Narrow and focus your goals by asking yourself these three questions:
- What do I want to accomplish?
- Will achieving this goal have an important impact?
- What actions will I need to take?
Measurable: Set realistic, simple-to-measure metrics that track progress and clearly show when each goal is achieved.
Achievable: Do you have the resources and time needed to achieve each goal?
Relevant: Does each goal contribute to successful results and move you closer to your long-term objectives?
Time-bound: Does each goal have a specific, realistic deadline?
An example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal vs a Not-So-SMART goal:
- S.M.A.R.T.: Increase sales of widgets by 20% while maintaining a 37% margin by July 1, 2024
- Not-So-SMART: Increase sales
Developing a plan for 2024 with S.M.A.R.T. goals will reduce complexity and clarify expectations. (And who knows, you might make real progress toward your goals this year!).
John Gross is an EOS Implementer who helps businesses achieve Vision, Traction, and Healthy. You can contact John at John@ DrivingChangeInc.com or call 636.667.0579.