How to write and maintain goals to be successful in the workplace
This is the first part of a six-part series on how to write goals. There are many ways to approach writing goals. Some people, simply decide they want to accomplish something and set out to accomplish their goal, without writing it down or really putting much thought into how they will achieve their goal. This approach may work if one has one goal and can remember what goal they are trying to accomplish. Other people, write down their goals but are not sure how they are going to achieve their goals. The key to a successful goal is to create a SMART goal. Goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
This part of the series will focus on being specific. Specific is defined as a precise detail. It is important that goals be specific to what you are trying to accomplish.
Bad Example:
Increase sales. A non-specific goal to simply increase sales is too vague and leaves to much room to miss the real desired outcome. By not adding the precise detail, an increase of just one dollar would mean that you had accomplished the goal.
Good Example:
Increase sales by 20% or increase sales by $1,000.00 in a given time period. We will discuss time periods later in this series. By being specific, one can easily tell if the goal has been achieved. If you want to increase sales by 20% over last month, it is easy to determine at the end of the month whether or not the goal was achieved.
By adding a specific detail to your goals, they become realistic and obtainable. Anyone who reads the goal has a clear understanding of what you are trying to achieve.
In part two of this series, we will discuss Measurable and will learn how the importance of measuring your goals is important.