How to write and maintain goals to be successful in the workplace

In part three of this series, we will cover the “A” in SMART goals. Unlike the other letters in the acronym, the “A” has been used to define several words such as Achievable, Attainable, Aligned or Assigned. In this example, we focus on achievable or attainable as they are the most commonly used in SMART goals creation. Having a goal that is achievable is important not only for the success of the goal but for the success of the team. If a goal is not achievable, then the goal will never be reached. The impact of a goal not being reached could be the difference between success or failure of the department or organization. Although stretch goals are important, it is necessary to know the difference between a goal that will stretch you and one that in not realistic.

How to write and maintain goals to be successful in the workplace

Part two of the series on how to write goals will outline the Measurable part of SMART goals. If you will remember in part one, we discussed how goals should be Specific in order to successfully write a goal. Much like having goals that are specific, it is important for the goals to be measurable. There are two ways that Measurable goals are important. The first, is the goal should have a number of dollar amount that you are trying to achieve. This number should be realistic and pertain to the goal you are trying to reach. The second part to think about is where the measurable number is coming from. If you are tracking an increase in sales, you would most likely get the final sales number from a sales report.

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.

At the beginning of the year, everyone is creating goals both personal and professional; however, the trick is maintaining your goals so that you are successful. Although it is important to create SMART goals to really be successful, you should also create tasks.