Tip Of The Day #74 - Get SMART
Barbara Steckly
Get S.M.A.R.T.
Renowned writer and organizational management expert, Peter Drucker, was known to say…
“Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done.”
His solution: Management By Objectives
Of course, first you must determine what your business objectives are…based on your vision and mission statements.
If you’re still wondering just what your overall vision is, focus on your business BIG PICTURE. What is your WHY, your reason for doing what you do, through your company?
Once determined, organizational objectives have to be understood by your employees. For efficiency’s sake, Drucker created the acronym SMART Goals, S-M-A-R-T standing for
Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic and Time-bound.
- Specific - Your goals must align with the mission and vision of your organization, and they must specifically outline the desired results.
- Measurable – how will you know where you are in terms of achieving this goal. There needs to be a monitoring system in place.
- Acceptable - this refers to agreement on the objectives between the employees and the organization. Communication is key so expectations are clear. An avenue for feedback should be established, along with a system for reward when objectives have been achieved.
- Are these goals realistic, given what you have at your disposal, your current knowledge, expertise and experience and that of your team?
- Time sensitive. It’s not just about what you’re going to accomplish. You need to determine a time when it must be completed. If you meet your time target, celebrate your success. If you don’t, learn from the reasons you didn’t.
You can’t hit a target you cannot see, so clear performance indicators are essential for achievement of SMART Goals. Write them down to share with your team. Think positively and celebrate each success on the way.
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