How to Set SMART Goals: Goal Setting for Businesses

SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time-bound) goals help to give your organization direction. Businesses often set goals that are too vague or unrealistic. Understanding how to set SMART goals will help focus and guide your organization’s goal-setting process to increase your success rate.

Goals are statements in your plan that are short-term in nature (12 to 24 months) and have outcome statements built into them. They live between strategic objectives and initiatives/action items (less than 12 months). They cascade into these shorter-term initiatives.

It’s best to start your SMART goal with a verb that has motion (actionable). Be clear on what the goal means (specific). We want to understand the goal when we re-read it in a month or two. Use numbers if you have them (measurable) and include a time frame; this year, this month, etc. (time-bound). The “R” refers to the entire goal. Is your goal realistic? Conclude with a statement that answers the “why?” Why is this goal important?

SMART goals have a meaningful commitment. Somebody must own it and be clear on what success looks like and when it will be accomplished.

Now that you know how to set SMART goals use them to improve the quality and completion of your organization’s goals. Learn more by visiting our website below.

[thechaparral]

Incredible simple approach. I loved it! Thanks!

[SpaceMusicOutofWorld]

I found it weird how did our teacher explain and talk about SMART for two hours and I didn't get it, and amazingly your 3 minutes video was pretty clear to me that I understood it!!!
Than you a lot!!!

[sprintwithcarlos]

This is definitely the best SMART goals explanation I’ve ever watched on YouTube

[sherocoffeeclub]

I like the way you didn't overly complicate it because setting the goal is just the tip of the iceberg.

[ampmanyari]

A very helpful video!
Glad you are back guys, helped me in 2008, helping me in 2016.
Greetings from Peru.

[Geordie]

A very clear and concise demonstration, thank you.

[zmaneljaib]

you are the best.. thank you for making things much easier

[facio]

Awesome! I've learned, a ton from your vids over the years, and applied that knowledge to multiple organizations with great success.

[mooricmooric]

I think it’s not enough to set a balanced score card to get good results. It is good to implement enterprise risk management to ensure a good results and don’t lose time in re-evaluating your process with no clue in the source of failure

[exibero]

We use it with the following terms: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound, and it works pretty well.

[milans]

volume is low compared to previous video. but still really appreciate it.

[mariamalhassan]

Thank you so much for sharing, I love the way  you explain & make things easy :)

[oferte]

The older video explaining smart goals was way better. It explained smart goals in a clearer and more in depth way. Why did you make it private?.

[grahambrown]

I don't agree with this. Goals are broad aims you what to achieve. Objectives are specific and have clearly defined milestones that must be achieved to reach your goal. More that one objective may need to be achieved to reach goal.

[turdburglar]

Specific - The task, e.g."customers buying from the EU", "waste material being generated", "employees being hired"
Measurable - by a known amount "by 100, 000", "by 5%",
Actionable - The imperative, e.g. "Increase", "Reduce", "Transfer", "Stop"
Realistic - It must make sense and be achievable
Reason - add a clause to explain why you're doing this, e.g. "to increase customers", "to reduce waste"
Time-bound - by a time limit, e.g. "before June 31st"

So, for example..
"Increase employee knowledge and save time 2 minutes 49 seconds of your life by summarizing the video in the comments."

Video time : 169s
Text read time : 30s

Total measured saving : 82% or 139 seconds

for 1000 employees, that's 38 hours, or one man week saved.