SMARTER Goal Setting with Confidence Coach

Guest Blog Written by Scott Ballard , Founder of Confidence Coach LLC

Since we are at the beginning of 2020, I bet you have already set goals for this year. But, my question to you is, have you set “SMARTER” goals? Here’s what I mean by SMARTER goal setting:

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Actionable
R – Risky
T – Time keyed
E – Exciting
R – Relevant

If you set some of the same goals last year as you did this year because you didn’t achieve them, it could be because you did not use the “Smarter” acronym.

WRITING SMARTER GOALS

We all know there are lots of areas that we can set goals in. Areas such as: physical, spiritual, intellectual, relationships, social, vocational, financial and hobbies.

For an example, let’s pick a weight loss goal and write it out in a “Smarter” format so that you can see what I mean. The reason why I picked weight loss is because this is one of the number one goals made by people that we work with when we are doing our program, “The Dream Employee,” in organizations.

Weight Loss Goal written in “Smarter” format:

“I will lose 20 lbs. by 6/1/20. I will go from weighing 165 to 145 lbs. by going to the gym 4 times a week, hiring a trainer, meal planning and eating healthier. The reason I want to lose weight is to be able to keep up with my grandkids, feel better about myself and look better in my clothes.”

S – Specific – Your goal needs to be specific. It should provide you with clarity and a concise aim as to where you are headed. Write it out in as much detail as possible.

M – Measurable – Your goal needs to be measurable. You need to set a benchmark for making progress. This way you can see if you are making progress and if you are going to be able to complete it within the timeline you have set. As you make progress, be sure and record your success and celebrate the progress you are making in achieving your goal.

A – Actionable – Your goal needs to be actionable. Make sure you write down the specific actions that you need to do to achieve your goal. For example, how many times are you going to the gym?

R – Risky – Your goal needs to be risky. By this I don’t mean dangerous, but it needs to stretch you out of your comfort zone. If it is too easy, you probably won’t do it.

T – Time Keyed – Your goal needs to be time keyed. You need to put an end date on your goal of when you want to achieve it by. If you don’t, there is really no incentive to move on it.

E – Exciting – Your goal needs to be exciting. If your goal doesn’t really motivate you and cause you to get excited for what the end results will be, then maybe you need to pick another goal.

R – Relevant – Your goal needs to be relevant. It needs to relate to you and what really matters to you. Set a goal that will make you become the best you.

SMARTER GOALS, BETTER EMPLOYEES

“Smarter” goals not only work for you and your business, but they will also work for your employees, because everyone has a dream or goal.

We work with business owners and leaders to help them utilize a program called The Dream Employee. This program asks each employee the question: What are your dreams, goals and aspirations for your life? And then we deposit encouragement, support, collaboration, and celebrate each employee as they make progress and achieve their goals.  

When people are in the process of achieving their goals and dreams, that’s where real productivity, energy and creative genius starts to grow; they bring more and more of this to work every day. 

If you are a leader, owner or CEO who believes that a paycheck and benefits with some vacation is going to get great effort from the majority of your employees – you’re wrong!

You will continue to have high employee disengagement, poor work culture, low collaboration between employees, lack of creativity and energy to serve your paying customers, and a lack of your own company’s goals being achieved.

INSPIRE POSITIVE CHANGE

Until you do something radically different from the other business owners beyond a paycheck, benefits and some time off, you are going to keep getting the same results from your “first customers” (your employees) as you are now! You have to do something different, that you know without a doubt will start to truly inspire them to show up a better version of themselves every day.

Here’s the beauty – you have already learned how to do this for yourself. Remember when you started your business? You had a Dream or Goal! And then what happened in you?

1. You were Excited
2. You had more energy
3. You solved problems
4. You worked super hard
5. You got smarter
6. You found people who could help you build your business
7. You made progress towards achieving your goals and dreams

Help your employees achieve their dreams by showing them how to set SMARTER goals in their personal, health, and work lives.

BE AN ADVOCATE

How would you like to be the Hero in your employees’ lives, by being the champion of their deepest goals and dreams?

If you’d like a free demonstration for you and your team/employees of The Dream Employee, let us know. We’d be glad to come in to demonstrate, and show you the transformation of how this will energize your people, for free. No strings attached. We also have many references of very happy Dream Employee clients if you’d like to talk to some of them.
Just reach out and schedule a free consultation to set up a time for your demonstration!