Progressive Goals in 3 Steps Using SMART

Many people set themselves goals but a lot have trouble in actually achieving them.

You may be familiar with SMART which is is a mnemonic commonly used to set objectives in coaching and personal development.

The SMART approach has been around for 30 years and in relation to goal-setting stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.

When applied to your goals these 5 ideas can often be used as a 'SMARTER' and better way to achieve progressive change and results.

As an executive coach I often initially see client goals that are focused on the following:

• Approach over outcome
• Negative issues and what they do not want
• Vague definitions

Not surprisingly their goals are rarely achieved and often due to the lack of clarity and motivation used in setting them up.

I start with clients by advocating the following 3 steps to help them towards creating progressive achievable goals:

1. Make your goals outcome-focused by doing the following...
   - Visualise what you want when you achieve your goal
   - Ask yourself what will be happening along the way?
   - Ask yourself what is different?
2. Positively state your goal as though you have achieved it...
   - For example, it is 31st December 2011 and we have 3 additional clients since June 2011.
   - The impact of the 3 new clients is an increase in revenue of X and opportunities such as Y.
   - This progress has improved staff morale shown by staff suggestions for further growth.
3. Make your goals concrete and specific by asking the following questions...
   - What is driving this goal?
   - What specific outcome do you want from your goal?
   - How will you know when you have achieved your outcome?

Hopefully, this post will have left you thinking about the most important question of all - 'Are you achieving your goals?'

If not, it is probably a good idea to ask yourself whether your goals are positive, outcome-focused and specific.

Please let me have your comments on this blog. Has it inspired you at all?

Please take the opportunity to visit my website West of England Coaching and Counselling as I am passionate about improving lives and would love to hear from you.