More Than a Checklist

Leaders are used to setting goals. Are yours as powerful as they could be?

Goals help cut through the clutter of a crowded mind and focus thoughts on the things that matter most. You can’t just set random goals the way too many people do – long lists of wishes that pop up at random and eventually fall away. You can take a smarter approach by setting SMART and WISE goals.

What is the difference? SMART thinking results in specific goals. WISE thinking gives them heart. SMART goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Action-Oriented

Realistic

Time-Bound

WISE goals, meanwhile, are:

Written

Integrated

Synergistic

Expansive

 

SMART goals

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. These goals show how you might use a smart goal at work, in finding a better balance between home and work, or improving your personal life:

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).

Leave work (a specific, action-oriented verb) by 6 p.m. three times a week (a time-bound commitment that is realistic and measurable).

Go on a date with my wife (a specific, action-oriented verb) at least twice a month (a time-bound commitment that is realistic and measurable).

All of those 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.

 

WISE goals

To avoid the pitfalls possible with SMART thinking, make sure your goals are also WISE. The result will be goals that are both better and more powerful.

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 and instills commitment. Having your thoughts in a durable form allows you to revisit them again and again.

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 OK 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 goals go beyond integration by also 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 simply means to think big.

 

The difference

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 a new planning system within one month from today.

WISE goal – Feel in control of my life.

SMART goal – Go on a date with my wife at least twice a month and tell her why I appreciate her at least once a day starting Aug. 3.

WISE goal – Fall in love again.

Every good leader has goals to help them stay on track to achieve their bigger vision day after day. The SMARTer they are, the more productive you’ll be. However, make sure that your goals are also WISE enough to inspire you and move you in new and exciting ways. You will find you don’t just meet your goals; they’ll actually better you.



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