It’s the new year, a chance to start again,and fill up a blank slate with your goals. However, goals have a tendency to go the way of resolutions.  We start of with great intentions, wonderful ambitions, and lofty goals. Over time – maybe one week to one month – we focus on day-to-day items on our to-do list, get distracted by the latest gadget, or a client is taking up more of our time.

So how do you stop goals from getting sidetracked? How do you avoid goals becoming forgotten?

Make them S.M.A.R.T. and have a strategy.

S.M.A.R.T. is about  “what you say” and strategy is about “how”.

Let’s start with S.M.A.R.T., as you can guess it is an acronym. S = specific, M = measurable, A = actionable, R = realistic, T =time based. Here’s what it means:

Specific. Be detailed, use numbers, statistics, etc. For example: “increase sales” is not specific however “increase sales by 10% from last year” is specific.  Another example would be “reduce employee turnover by 50%” or “create a marketing plan for four social media platforms”. You get the idea, don’t be general otherwise how will you know if you reached your goal?

Measurable. This is why you use numbers or stats in specific, it automatically makes it measurable. In other words, how will you know when you have reached your goal? Better yet, how will you know you have exceeded your own expectations?

Actionable. This means the goal requires your active participation and is not passive. For example: “attend a minimum of four networking events each month” instead of “be invited to four networking events each month”. You need to be responsible for the goal and need to take action to make it happen.

Realistic. If you have followed all the steps until now, is your goal possible? Let’s go back to the sales example, is 10% realistic, is 20% or 100% – it all depends on your business. Don’t set a goal that is unrealistic, you will be giving yourself an excuse for not completing it or worse – you will be very disappointed.

Time Based. Is another way of saying – have a due date. To borrow from an old cliche “if it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done”. Having a deadline is what is driving your goals. The dates on your goals will affect the next part of having a strategy.

Take a moment and write out your goals, for one year you should have between three to five goals for the year. This is realistic and will ensure you can accomplish all your goals. Compare what you have written to the criteria listed above – how did you do? Rewrite where necessary.

Once you have your goal in the S.M.A.R.T. format you are ready for the strategy. The strategy is how you are going to complete your goal. Break down your goals into smaller S.M.A.R.T. goals which can be achieved quickly and get you moving in the right direction. If you have a goal that is for the entire year like increase sales – break it down into the different components needed to achieve the higher sales and write down the activities for each month. By having the strategy being S.M.A.R.T.  each month or week you will be able to track your progress. Therefore, no surprises at the end of the year.

Now, you go through this entire exercise, have lots of detail and is very do-able and you are feeling very good about yourself. Place it somewhere you will be able to see it everyday. This can mean placing it into your calendar program, having the plan under a clear desk protector or on sticky notes (my favorite) – doesn’t matter just make sure it is not “out of sight and out of mind”.

Need help creating your goals for 2011? Contact us today!