Ken’s 3 Quick Tips On How to set SMART Goals

SMART goals – do you have them? The importance of goal setting cannot be overemphasized, but do you ever wonder how it is that you set goals and just cannot seem to achieve them? Do you find yourself constantly pushing your goals back or spinning your wheels, feeling stuck like you cannot make progress towards your goals?

Take stock of your current goals and assess whether they are SMART goals. The SMART goals definition is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. If they are not SMART, the entire exercise of setting goals and working towards them will not be an efficient use of your time, and you are setting yourself and your business up for perpetual failure. On the other hand, making sure each goal you set is SMART will set you up for success because you will have a roadmap to be able to work toward your goals and internal checks to make sure you are making progress.

Here are my 3 quick tips to set SMART goals.

Tie Your Goal to Your Natural Genius

SMART goal setting is important, but you also need to set goals for yourself that match your natural genius. What do I mean by that? Have you ever been so immersed and focused in an activity that you find yourself in this steady mental state where you enjoy what you do, feel energized the entire time, and are highly productive and efficient?

If so, you probably were in what is called a flow state. Flow experiences occur in different ways for different people and often come when you are engaged in an activity you enjoy and are highly skilled in doing. So, how do you achieve flow? According to Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi, the psychologist who founded the concept of flow, there are 4 things you need to do to set yourself up to achieve a flow state:

1. Set clear goals
2. Eliminate distractions
3. Add a manageable challenge 
4. Choose something you enjoy 

How do you figure out what your natural genius is? As part of my business coaching services, I have all my clients take the Talent Dynamics Profile Test, which is specifically geared towards helping you find a way to flow state by figuring out which of the profiles you fit. Each of the Talent Dynamics profiles has its strengths and weaknesses and will explain why certain tasks and roles drain you while others excite and energize you.

Get out on the Skinny Branches

SMART goal setting is also about setting big goals for yourself and your business. There should be some element of “reach” when engaging in these types of goal setting. There is a saying, “growth happens when you step outside of your comfort zone,” and that applies to setting big-reach goals.

They still need to be SMART goals, but when engaged in business coaching, I always advise my clients to set the “big hairy scary goals,” and then we set smaller measurable goals along the way to help us achieve the ultimate goal.

Tell Your Circle About Your Goal

Own your goals. Write them down. Talk about them by telling your friends and family what you are working towards. Privately setting your goals combined with publicly communicating about them helps you stay focused and committed and increases your likelihood of success.

By sharing your goals, you build confidence, and this creates accountability. Some will advise against sharing your goals with others because it puts too much pressure on you, and the fear of failure is paralyzing for so many people. Something that I advise in executive coaching is that you need to get over the fear of failure.

You will fail from time to time, and that is ok, in fact, it is healthy. It means you are setting big goals, and by failing, you learn and grow as an individual and as a business. Everyone is their own toughest critic, so when you are in the business of business entrepreneurship, you need to change your mindset to embrace the failures and lessons learned, and that it is ok to have fear, we just need to work through it, so it doesn’t stagnate you and your business.

Everyone wants SMART goals examples provided to them, but they are something unique to each individual business and individual team members within each business. There are no one-size-fits-all SMART goals examples.

This is why working with a business coach can help you get an accurate assessment of where you are currently and where you want to go and help you make a plan of how to get there.

At Leader’s Cut, setting SMART goals is one of many business coaching benefits my clients get from working closely with me. Now is the time to get clear on your SMART goals, so contact me about how business coaching with Leader’s Cut can help you and your business!