A problem with S.M.A.R.T. goals
Many experts tell you to use smart goals to get your team focused and headed in the same direction. In this video training, I share why it is totally normal to think that SMART goals will solve the problem of getting your team into alignment and offer some things to look out for so you can be more effective.
But you can run into problems when the process of formulating individual goals and having them feel meaningful is both time consuming and challenging. Often you end up with personal goals that don’t line up nicely with the results you are trying to achieve as a team.
The other thing that happens is people get so focused on the micro perspective of their goal that they take their eye off the bigger picture of what you are trying to achieve for your customers. And that is usually the reason you set goals in the first place!
This also sets you up to think that there is one right way to achieve results as a team - and that type of constrained focus doesn’t allow your brain to get creative and come up with new ideas.
Of course we think this though! SMART goals were developed in 1981 by George T. Doran, and companies have been using it as a best practice since then. They are a concrete thing we can do as managers to feel like we are getting into alignment and being productive.
But let me ask you: have you ever created a smart goal and not accomplished it? Of course! This is the common experience with New Year’s resolutions. If that is true on a personal level, of course it would be true at work where we rely on individuals to collectively get results.
The reality is that even if you make your goals SMART, it doesn’t guarantee that your team performs at a higher level. Without a foundation of trust or getting clarity on the actual issues that prevent your team from getting results, a goal is only going to take you so far.
So do you want to continue to focus on your SMART goals and other activities that on the surface feel productive? Or do you want to learn how to be an empowering leader who knows how to attune as a team before they engage in alignment activities, so their team can get exponential (instead of incremental) results?
I have a group program coming in Dec for managers who want to work on this in a small group setting. DM me “High Impact Teams” and I’ll give you the details.
