SMART goals have been around for a long time. According to Gemini, Google’s AI model, Google Lens sees over 20 billion searches each month for related to SMART Goals. Clearly, there are lots of people who still think it is worthwhile and relevant model to achieve success. With over 20,000,000,000 searches each month, why do most people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions before the end of March? There are a variety of reasons people fail. Discipline and lacking a trusted guide top the list. This post will review SMART Goals and provide insights for leaders to guide their followers to stay on the path using regular check ins, course corrections, and setting clear expectations.

As you begin using goals to inspire people’s work, you will find different experience levels and commitment to the job. Your responsibility as a leader to modify your approach to match their experience and commitment. A CEO working with another C-level executive approaches the conversation differently than a front line leader has with a new volunteer at a nonprofit with lots of commitment, but no experience.

The foundation for working with others to accomplish objectives is the SMART Goal. Much has also been written about SMART goals as well, so this will only serve as a review.

• S-pecific
• M-easureable
• A-ttailable
• R-elevant
• T-ime bound.

Specific is a statement that sets you up for the next step of measurable. For example, a strategic goal for a nonprofit I worked with was, “Increase our unrestricted reserve by 30% in the next five years.” The statement is very specific compared with something like, “Do more fundraising.”

Measurable gives the goal setter something to determine progress. In the above examples, both statements are measurable. If that nonprofit had been raising $5,000/year and at the end of theifive-yearar window they were raising $5,001, technically they would have met their goal. However, a 30% increase provides a specific number that is easier to measure.

Attainable can require a person or organization to stretch and yet still be something achievable. An example was my decision to complete the Army 10-Miler Shadow Run a number of years ago. People in my hometown might describe me as a runner, but I don’t. I run to stay fit, not for distance. However, I worked with an experienced runner who helped me create a training plan. As a result, I was able to complete ten-milele run in the required time be counted as a finisher. Ten miles at one time was more than I had run in more than 30 years at that point, but the goal was attainable even if it required me to stretch my abilities and grow.

Relevant is the whole point of you as a leader working with your followers. If you run a manufacturing team that makes parts for wood working machines, you might have a person or two who also enjoys working with wood. If they create a goal to buy one of your machines, it is relevant to the success of the organization. While it may not seem relevant to the day-to-day work, this person is a potential customer and understands the expectations of customers when they buy something like a table saw. Those expectations can help you whole team better meet those expectations.

Time-bound is an important aspect of SMART goals. A goal without a date for achievement is a dream. Looking back at the nonprofit example, “Do more fundraising.”, you can see why that is a weaker goal than increasing their reserve. Doing more fundraising someday is not as powerful and less likely to happen than the 30% increase in five years. Even if they miss their five-year mark by a few months, they will likely have increased their available funds in that five years compared to a nonprofit that simply stated they wanted to raise more money with no time constraint.

Understanding the SMART model is important for leaders. You must model this behavior. When I was the Chief Executive at the nonprofit I led, I shared my goals with my #2 person to demonstrate what to do. This also allowed her and her team to select goals that supported my goals and the goals in our strategic plan. As you work with followers on goal setting, take time with them to write down their goals. Each of you receives a copy of the worksheet. The goal should contain the specific goal statement and its measure of success. List the big actions steps required, who is responsible for them, and timelines to complete each to ensure the goal is attainable. Discuss how this goal will help your team ensure the organization complete its mission and strategic goals. Identify and write down the expected completion date.

The worksheet should not fill more than one page. Keep the whole plan under 250 words, white space can be your friend here. This document is something the employee should be able to review quickly as he plans activities between all the whirlwind stuff that happens every day. Depending on the experience and commitment of the person, schedule time regularly to review their progress on these goals. Once each week but no longer than a month seems to be ideal for most.

During these sessions, you will be tempted to offer advice. With a very new person, this may be appropriate, but for most, it is better to let them identify their progress, shortfalls, and remediation plans. Use questions rather than answers to encourage them to think of ways to overcome hurdles and barriers. In the beginning, this will take longer, but eventually people will develop problem-solving skills. Identify whether their metrics really are measuring what they want to achieve. It is common to think you know the answer to a problem, take steps to fix, and then find out your solution is not affecting the metrics.

There are number of reasons for actions not moving metrics. One is that you are not measuring the right things. Another is you are not measuring correctly. A third is the action to reaction time is longer than you anticipated. The process may be incorrectly executed. There are more reasons for metrics not moving in the direction or as quickly as one would like. Learning to examine and analyze the variables is what helps makes you followers more effective in their jobs, and starts to set them up for leadership positions in the organization. The most important thing here is to ask appropriate, probing questions that help them solve the problem rather than providing the answer.

Understanding the SMART Goals Model helps you teach those you lead to set effective goals. Help them understand what make s a goal specific. Teach them what measures demonstrate progress. Ensure the goal is difficult to achieve, but also attainable. Relevant goals are tied to the goals established by the leaders in the organization so when the employee succeeds, it improves the success across the organization. Work with them to set reasonable time limits for success. Write down the goal, task steps and measures for success. Meet with them regularly to review progress and help them make corrections so they stay on track. Using this model takes more time up front. As you and your followers become accustom to this process, it goes faster, they become more independent. That allows you more time to work on your goals, gather resources for your team, and meet the needs of your leaders better. Give it a shot. You will be surprised at the innovations your followers develop.

References

Blanchard, K., Zigarmi, P., & Zigarmi, D. (2013) Leadership and the one minute manager; A situational approach to leading others. HarperCollins.

Kinicki, A., & Williams, B. (2008). Management: A practical approach. Mcgraw-Hill Irwin

(c) 2026 Christopher St. Cyr