Do you ever feel like you are working your hardest but not getting anywhere?

Or as a leader, that your team isn’t achieving what you know they are capable of?

This is where setting SMART goals can help! Having relevant, clear, and productive goals in place can make all the difference when it comes to getting you or your business to where you want it to be. By creating SMART goals you ensure that you are setting yourself relevant and achievable benchmarks that can drive you and your team’s development and success. These goals are designed to bring attention to your important tasks and help to allocate the right time and resources to these prioritized tasks.

SMART goals are defined by 5 criteria:

• Specific – the expectations and outcomes of the goals are clear.
• Measurable –  the goals can be easily tracked and assessed.
• Achievable – the goals are realistic given the circumstances and available resources.
• Relevant – the goals are relevant to your business objectives.
• Time-based – the goals have a defined timeframe.

When setting SMART goals you are defining the criteria to help improve the time management of your business. Without the deadlines of a goal-orientated approach to time management, you may see many of your employees mesmerized by the repetitive motion of the minute hand on the clock as they wait for 5 o’clock to come around. But, when goals are set into motion you will see the drive of accomplishment each and every day.

So how do SMART goals help with time management?

• Provides direction: Having clear goals that the whole team is informed of ensures everyone is on the same page and working towards the same result. By having goals in place, employees know where their time and efforts should be focused throughout the day and therefore are able to better prioritize their workload, and better manage their time while on the clock.

• Helps to meet deadlines: Having a deadline for your goal drives employee motivation to meet that goal within the given timeframe. It also aids in developing an action plan to ensure that the goal is able to be met by that deadline given the resources available. Employees will then be able to refer to this action plan to designate their time spent on different tasks throughout the day.

• Helps to minimize distractions and wasted time: By having your goals outlined in the workplace your team will always have a task to work on towards accomplishing these goals. This will eliminate the times in the workplace where your employees are left wondering what they should be working on. When everyday distractions come into play such as phone calls, conversations with co-workers or whan a new project is thrown into the mix, having these goals outlined and an action plan in place will help your employees to effectively manage their time and stay on top of what needs to be done.

Think about how you can rephrase your current vision as a SMART goal. Make sure to work with your team on this, not only so that they are clear on what needs to be done when and by who, but also so they are aware of how their efforts can support the objectives of the company.

Who is ready to set some new goals to set a focus for the remainder of this year, and 2022? Get in touch today to chat about how I can support you to set and achieve your goals.