Have S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals

(Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Timely, Emotional, Real)

S – Specific – Goals need to be able to be recorded and concise, detailed yet simple. A couple few important goals are better than grasping for many at once.

Poor:

“I want to grow the business.”

Rich:

“I will increase recurring revenue by adding 10 new clients by the end of this quarter.”

Why rich works:
Clear target. Clear finish line. No guesswork.

M – Measurable – They need to be able to be tracked and measured by accomplishment and time.

Poor:

“I’ll know when it feels better.”

Rich:

“I will track progress weekly by counting signed agreements and activated accounts in the CRM.”

Why rich works:
Feelings don’t scale. Numbers do.

A – Actionable – Goals must be put into action and do-able. Not pie in the sky but sliced and edible.

Poor:

“I hope the market improves.”

Rich:

“I will personally make 5 outbound calls per weekday and schedule at least 2 qualified appointments per week.”

Why rich works:
Focuses on controllable actions, not external conditions.

R – Relevant – They should be tied to your overall mission and purpose. They should be virtuous, moral and supportive not vindictive nor tumultuous.

Poor:

“This would be nice to have.”

Rich:

“This goal directly supports our mission to provide ____________ while strengthening predictable cash flow for the team.”

Why rich works:
Aligned with purpose, not distraction.

T – Timely – Goals need a definitive timeline and focused upon regularly and consistently.

Poor:

“Eventually.”

Rich:

“I will complete this goal by June 30, with progress reviews every Friday.”

Why rich works:
Deadlines create decisions. Decisions create movement.

(SMART is good but SMARER is better)

E – Emotional – To get the most traction, they should br empowering with emotions, passion and feeling.

Poor:

“I should probably do this.”

Rich:

“Achieving this goal will reduce stress, create stability for my family and team, and reinforce that our work truly matters.”

Why rich works:
Emotion fuels endurance.

R – Real – Our goals in the realm of reality. Yes ardently desired, wonderfully creative, employing imaginering with incredible possibility thinking that may seem lofty. Concurrently they also need to be embedded in fact, principle and reality.

Poor:

“I’ll triple revenue in 30 days.”

Rich:

“Based on current capacity, pricing, and lead flow, a 15% increase over the next 90 days is ambitious but achievable.”

Why rich works:
Respects reality without shrinking vision.

Alternative Suffix – E.R.

E – Evaluate — review progress periodically

R- Revise — adjust the goal or plan based on feedback and conditions 

SUPER POWER TIP:

If you are want to super power and hit turbo, then imagine your goal so much that your brain thinks its already achieved. Portions of it cant distinguish the difference. Its a mental hack. Picture in your possession a post-dated check just being a matter of time until its cashed.

Here is a resource you can customize and adapt for your use. Download the spreadsheet and once it is yours, save as a PDF and keep it front of you.

Get your goal sheet here.

I like to reflect upon and build my goals around the Circle of Life. I may have too many but I suppose that is better than too few. They are like books in that way.

You can download a copy here: