Goal Setting Articles

Effective SMART Goals for Workplace Success

Setting workplace goals is fundamental to organizational and personal success, but how those goals are crafted significantly impacts their effectiveness. While SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) are a well-known framework, they are often criticized for their limitations, particularly in fostering innovation and pushing boundaries. Incorporating insights from the HARD Goals framework and goal-setting theory, this article explores how to elevate workplace goal-setting beyond the standard SMART criteria.

Effective Goal Planning Strategies for Success

Effective goal planning serves as the backbone of personal and organizational success. Unlike generic frameworks that merely scratch the surface, a truly effective goal management plan must ignite motivation, align with core values, and inspire exceptional outcomes. This isn’t about checking off mundane to-dos but crafting strategies that transform vision into reality.

Crafting Effective Business Strategy Goals

Crafting effective business strategy goals is a cornerstone of organizational success. These goals not only define a company’s aspirations but also create the roadmap to achieve them. However, success doesn’t come from simply setting any goal—it’s about crafting goals that resonate with the organization's vision, inspire employees, and create measurable value.

Are SMART Goals Dumb?

If Your Employees Aren't Learning, You're Not Leading

There's a strong positive relationship between how much people learn on the job and how much they love their job. Employees who score high on survey questions like "I will have to learn new skills to achieve my assigned goals for this year" have higher scores on questions such as:
"I consider myself a high performer"
"The work I do makes a difference in people's lives"

If 2017 Didn't Deliver The Career Success You Wanted, Try Making This One Change

According to a survey I conducted last week (of more than 5,000 leaders) only 22% of people say they’re very satisfied with their current position. The other 78% are divided between advancing a little or advancing far beyond their current position.

People Who Set SMART Goals Are Less Likely To Love Their Job

If you’ve had a job for any length of time, you’ve undoubtedly set a SMART Goal (most commonly defined as Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound). But while everyone knows how to set a SMART Goal, what most people don’t know is that they could really be hurting how they feel about their job.

3 Questions You Must Answer Before You Present Your Business Plan

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, CEO or middle manager, virtually everyone has to create (and present) business plans. And while there are literally thousands of business plan templates available, they will all fail if you don’t answer these three critical questions (that you might have never heard before) when you’re creating and presenting your business plan.

Here's Why You Don't Have The Time To Achieve Your Big Goals

If you’re having trouble finding time for your big goals, you’re not alone. We recently asked over 1,500 leaders: “Did you successfully complete your goals for today?” and provided three responses to choose from: “Yes,” “No,” and “I have no idea.” The most common response was “I have no idea.” The problem is that too many leaders aren’t sure what their goals really are.

Video: Goal Setting Requires HARD Goals

Ever since I wrote the book HARD Goals, which is about goal setting, I've gotten a bit of a reputation as a guy who hates SMART goals. I think it's maybe a touch unfair, but let me tell you where it comes from. We did a study to look at goal setting involving over 4,000 people. . .