Brief description of SMART goal elements with examples

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SMART Goals

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What Is a SMART Goal?
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timebound

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Specific
To be specific, the goal has to be concrete, precise, and clear.
To help create a specific goal, ask:
 What exactly do I want to accomplish?
 Who or what is involved?
 Where?
Non-specific goal: “I want to earn more money at my sales
job.”
Specific goal: “My goal is to earn a $1500 bonus by
increasing my sales."

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Measureable
 To be measureable, you should be able to determine the
progress toward your goal
 Often stated as a quantity
 If you can’t measure your goal, you can’t manage it!
Non-Measurable:” I want to increase sales” (Eventually? by how
much?)
Measureable: “I will increase sales 3% each month”

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Achievable and Realistic
 To be achievable, goals should be set at the right level of
difficulty—challenging but not overwhelming
 To be realistic, consider your resources and circumstances.
(i.e. time, energy, ability) Given those, is the goal practical?
Our bonus example:
 Achievable: How hard will it be to increase sales by 3% each
month? It will take work, but you believe you can do it.
 Realistic: You have the willingness and time to put in the added
work and the potential customer base is large enough.

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Timebound
 To be timebound, the goal needs a clear deadline.
 In our bonus example, you add the deadline of “December 31st
of this year”
 Voila! Now your goal has a timeframe.

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Non-SMART v. SMART Goal
 Original (Non-SMART) Goal: “I want to earn more money at
my sales job this year”
Vs
 SMART Goal: “By December 31st of this year, I will earn a
$1500 bonus by increasing my sales numbers each month by 3
percent.”
You can see how the second goal is much more clear, concrete,
and precise. You know exactly how you will reach your goal,
when, and exactly what you are aiming for.