Are you SMART in setting the GOAL?

Are you SMART?? This was what Prof. Dr. Mandi asked us in the class. 

In this blog I will explain you a SMART way of goal setting. 

SMART can be decoded as-
S= Specific, Simple, Sustainable                                      
M= Measurable, Motivating, Meaningful               
A= Attainable, Ambitious, Appropriate
R= Realistic, Relevant, Result-oriented
T= Time-bound, Tangible, Trackable

Now let’s understand importance of each term in detail-

Specific-

The goal should be clear and unambiguous; without vagaries and platitudes. Goals must reveal exactly what is expected and why is it important. Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do.

                                  Measurable : 

Goals must be measurable to be able to provide feedback and to know when the goal is achieved. Measurable goals help to check the progress of the particular activity.

Attainable: The goal should be attainable. Unrealistic targets won’t  help in long term. This may result in failure of an activity creating extra pressure on everybody. The goals should be neither out of reach nor below standard performance.

Realistic: 

The goal must be challenging, yet realistic. A goal that supports or is in alignment with other goals would be considered a relevant goal.

Time Bound : 

In order for goals to positively affect motivation and performance, goals must be time-bound. A commitment to a deadline helps a team focus their efforts on completion of the goal on or before the due date. This is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise in an organization. A time-bound goal is intended to establish a sense of urgency.

Next concept discussed was the Pygmalion effect and its role in goal setting-

The Pygmalion effect, or Rosenthal effect, is the phenomenon which states that greater the expectation placed upon people, the better they perform. The effect is named after Pygmalion, a play by George Bernard Shaw.

Then the discussion moved on to the matter of Goal Setting and its importance. Goal setting can be listed under the sub-headings of:

1. Goal Set

2. Goal Achieved

3. Historical Goal

4. Potential

Prof conducted tower building exercise and asked each one of us to write our values against these parameters. We learned that the goal set should always be greater than achieved as well as historical goals. 

Now it was time for a practical demonstration, showing that we will always aim high in life. A team was called for tower building exercise. Team set the target of 50 blocks. With the high target set and with the help of structured, coordinated and motivated efforts, the team made a tower of 24 blocks. Job well done!! But never be satisfied!! Team tried again and finally broke the previous set record by creating a tower of 28 blocks!

That is the power of expectation!! You can achieve big target only when you aim high.

Hope you enjoyed the post.. Bless me with your comments!!