Smart goals - and examples

What does SMART stands for?

Smart stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Using these five criteria, you can formulate your goals effectively, from individual thoughts to a concrete plan. Make sure you include every 'letter' in the objective. Over time, you can evaluate what has succeeded and what hasn't, and more importantly: why?

SMART goals - examples

Suppose you want to grow in your career and aiming for a role as manager. Therefor you want to develop your management skills. Then a SMART goal could be: "Within eighteen months, I want to complete two management courses with an average score of at least 7½ out of 10." 

Below we explain the five criteria and give an example for each smart goal. 

Specific

Above all, the goal must be concrete / specific. What exactly do you want to achieve? Why do you want to achieve this? And what actions and quantification can you link to it? 
Answer for this example: complete two management courses.

Measurable

To make an objective measurable, it must be verifiable. In other words: with smart goals you know when you have or have not achieved the goal. This ensures that you can make interim adjustments or evaluate afterwards why a goal was or was not successful. 
Answer to this smart goals example: an average result of at least a 7½. 

Attainable

Your goals may be challenging, but also keep the reachable. If you can't attain your goals you might lose your motivation. So be ambitious, but realistic. 
Answer to this example: a course lasts 2 months and they are offered in the autumn and spring. So, within one and a half years is an attainable goal. 

Relevant

Put your goals into the context of your wider career plan, giving you the impetus to complete them.
Answer to this example: it’s relevant to follow a management course if you have a management role and want to become a better manager, or want to become a manager soon. 

Time-bound

Policies delayed are policies denied. With smart goals you give your goal a beginning, middle and end point. When are you going to start, when will you review the progress and when are you expecting to have achieved your goal?  

Knowing when you want to achieve the goal can serve as extra motivation. 
Answer to this smart goals example: within one and a half years, preferably in the spring and with a possible extension to the autumn. 

Do you want to know more about personal development (where we offer a free career plan training) or read tips to increase your career opportunities?