Do you remember SMART goals? I was introduced to the concept early in my career. Smart goals are specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time bound. Unfortunately, they’re also usually horrifically boring and uninspiring.
The SMART goal concept isn’t bad in theory. A SMART goal is better than no goal or a vague goal. But if you limit yourself to SMART goals, you’ll limit your thinking.
That’s because SMART goals tend to be task-oriented, like “do the marketing report every week and do it exactly this way.” Smart goals tend to be things assigned by your boss. Unfortunately, accomplishing only these types of tasks results in you playing small. Breakthrough accomplishments and leadership require more than what’s asked of you; it requires you to set strategic goals for yourself.
Putting a man on the moon didn’t start with a SMART goal. It started with a big idea. SMART goals pushed the process forward, but they weren’t the initial jumping off point.
In business, we bandy about words like objectives, goals and strategy so much we’re often not clear on what the words mean. To provide clarity, let’s unpack the difference between accomplishing tasks versus setting strategic goals.