As a leader, you’re used to setting goals. But are the goals you’re setting really as powerful as they could be?
Goals help us to cut through the clutter of a crowded mind and keep our thoughts on the things that matter most. They help us focus. To be effective, you can’t just set random goals the way many people do — long lists of wishes that pop up at random and eventually fall away. You can be smarter than that with your goals. Wiser. This article shows you how.
In the business world, we’ve been trained to set “SMART” goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Action-Oriented
- Realistic and
- Time-Bound.
There’s value in that. SMART goals have helped many people move from vague unattainable goals to clear, specific action. You might want to use this standard to transform your commitments into powerful goals.
Here are some examples of SMART goals that meet all of these criteria. This first example shows how you might use a SMART goal at work:
- Schedule (an action-oriented verb) team-building and strategic planning off-site (specific activities) by end of January (a time-bound date that is realistic and measurable).
You can also use SMART goals to help integrate your work and home lives to find better balance:
- Leave work (a specific, action-oriented verb) by 6 p.m. three times a week (a time-bound commitment that is realistic and measurable).
SMART goals are just as helpful in your personal life:
- Go on a date with my wife or husband (a specific, action-oriented verb) at least twice a month (a time-bound commitment that is realistic and measurable).
All of these goals illustrate how the SMART criteria get you to be very concrete about your goals, which makes them easier to attain.
The problem with SMART thinking is that it has a tendency to limit instead of inspire. SMART goals can work against you if:
- You neglect to write them and keep them fresh.
- They’re isolated from other important parts of your life.
- They conflict or compete.
- They lack spirit and conviction.
To avoid these pitfalls, make sure your goals are both SMART and WISE.
WISE Goals
‘WISE’ stands for:
- Written
- Integrated
- Synergistic
- Expansive
Using these criteria to improve your goals will transform them into a more powerful approach.
Written
Writing your goals is a critical step — and one many people miss. Writing forces you to be clear in your thinking. It allows you to look at your plans with objectivity. It instills commitment and puts your thoughts in a durable form you can revisit again and again.
Integrated
Integrating your ideas means bringing them together in the same place so you can look at them all at once. Allow your personal and professional lives to intermingle. It’s okay if right under “increase profit share” you have “get more rest.” They both improve your quality of life. They both contribute to your definition of success. You get to have it all. There are no rules. You make it up.
Synergistic
Whereas integrating your goals means bringing them together, synergizing means making them work together. Synergy happens when one idea advances another. Keeping a vision of what you want in mind when you think about your goals will help create that synergy. You really lose something when you decouple your goals from your vision; they become just another prioritized list.
The most powerful and peaceful way to think about your efforts is to see how they can coalesce into one complete vision for your life.
Expansive
Think big. Your goals should inspire you to stay on the path to your dreams, not lock you into a pattern of ticking off bite-sized action items from here to retirement.
This may be the biggest differentiator between SMART and WISE thinking. Spending too much time and energy boxing your objectives into a hard and fast formula can squeeze the life right out of them. Some examples:
SMART GOAL — Schedule team-building and strategic planning off-site by end of January
WISE GOAL — Transform my staff into a team of inspired, empowered partners
SMART GOAL — Leave work by 6 p.m. three times a week, organize my office and work with my assistant to find new planning system within one month from today
WISE GOAL — Feel in control of my life
The best goals are both “smart” and “wise.” SMART thinking gives your goals specificity. WISE thinking gives them heart.
Every good leader has goals. Your goals will help you stay on track to achieving your bigger vision day after day, and the “SMARTer” they are, the more productive you’ll be. However, make sure that your goals are also WISE enough to inspire you, excite you, and move you in new and exciting ways. You will find you don’t just meet your goals; they’ll actually better you.
