I want to share something with my fellow monkeys that I find to be very helpful with setting goals and being able to follow through with them. Dating a career student, I've learned some nice tricks about developing a learning plan, follow up and execution.
SMART goals, written about by management consultant, George T. Doran and associated with Peter Drucker's management by objectives concept is a handy tool to outline objectives and have a plan of attack to getting them done.
SMART is a mnemonic acronym (memory device) that assists in recall.
S - Specific M - Measurable A - Attainable R - Realistic T - Timely
There are many iterations of SMART goals (SMARTER, SMARTTA, SMARRT), along with interchangeable synonyms. Although, these are the words that I find useful for personal goals where I am not delegating to others.
How it works:
S - What is specific about the goal? M - How confident are you about this goal? Rank out of 10 and revisit. A - Is there a finish line to this goal? Schedule someone to follow up with to hold you accountable. R - Is this goal practical? Can you reasonably assume you can complete? T - When do you expect this goal to be accomplished?
After writing down this SMART goal, revisit and give yourself a new confidence ranking out of 10. If you are not certain that you can complete, go back to your goal and reevaluate.
Having someone holding you accountable is very helpful.
Interested to hear what types of goal settings you use?
