Essay Example on Achieving Goals: SMART Goal Setting for Success

Introduction

Achieving goals is part and puzzle of the whole human endeavor. Goals and objectives make up every aspect of life, for instance, what a person wants to achieve at work or even how to use leisure time (Williams, 2015). Therefore, everything comes down to priorities because without setting goals, life becomes a series of uncontrolled events. The SMART goal setting principle nurtures the ability to structure and truck a person's goals and objectives. As a result, it eliminates vagueness while setting resolutions and creates a verifiable path towards achieving certain goals (Williams, 2015). Further, the SMART technique sets clear milestones and even accounts the estimated attainability of the goals. Most importantly, every objective or goal from the conception to the overarching objective can be brought closer to reality using S.M.A.RT. In the business world or workplace, SMART goal setting is ranked as one of the most effective but it has not been widely adopted (Rouillard, 2003). When I deliberated with my coaches, I realized that I perceived to be open-minded, a good listener, and a balanced person. However, I came to the fruition that I had to improve as I am to become a business manager and leader. The three areas of focus I intend to pursue are actively contributing to a group, being more interactive with people, and finally being a strongly balanced person. The specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely goal setting technique will help me achieve my areas of focus.

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S.M.A.R.T Goal Setting

Specific

Active contribution in groups requires an individual to be always prepared. I should be informed in advance where the venue of the team meeting will be, time and the agenda. Since the workplace requires efficient collaboration between the management and staff, effective partnerships with fellow colleagues are also important. Therefore, to nurture the spirit of active contribution, I should acknowledge that being in a team requires a team effort to achieve the same goals. Therefore, I should openly share and help my colleagues out whenever they experience complex tasks that a group effort. Furthermore, by sharing my knowledge and skills, everyone in the group benefits from my input. These measures will ensure that I remain active in group contributions.

The specific criteria for fostering being interactive with people is to break my introverted way of life by promoting better communication with peers and colleagues. Stellar communication skills coupled with projected confidence promote charismatic leadership. Therefore, I need to start with the core skill of communication through speaking honestly with people about topics and issues that matter in the workplace. I should get to know how the staff is fairing in their duties. Engaging with others frequently will help improve my social interaction skills.

Similarly, for me to become a strongly balanced person, I should acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses. I have realized that I possess strong emotional intelligence crucial for future leadership. Therefore, I should capitalize on my strength and implement ways of dealing with my weaknesses. As such, I should work hard on improving how I perceive and judge issues by being more intuitive and seeking clarity before acting.

Measurable

Measuring goals entails establishing criteria to identify and gauge progress towards attaining the set objectives. According to studies on team and group dynamics, every team is as strong as its weakest member (Franz, 2012). To be an active group contributor, I should ensure my presence and engagement in group discussions. Individual input whether positive or negative helps to foster the growth of a group. On a personal level, I will make sure to maintain a journal detailing my contributions in workplace teams to gauge my performance.

Also, it is good to measure my level of social interaction with others. First and foremost, to improve on social interaction, I should be able to communicate freely with my family and friends. Effective communication at home and the place of work will be crucial to meeting my personal goals. On the other hand, the criterion for measuring my progress with regard to being a strongly balanced person is by enlisting the attributes of an effective leader. I should nurture charisma and my ability to navigate challenges in and out of the workplace (Spain, 2019).

Attainable

When one identifies the important goals, he or she should figure out the ways to make the dreams become a reality. According to my external class coach, I should develop the skills, abilities, and attitudes necessary to identify the opportunities available to meet my goals. With this note, for me to become an active group member, I should be aware that it only takes one weak member to spell doom in a group. In the same sense, a silent group member is just as harmful to a group as a negative and pessimistic person within a group (Franz, 2012). Likewise, someone who fails to participate does not add value and replace someone else with the capacity to bring value to a group. Active contribution enriches my skills and creates an opportunity for personal development.

When it comes to being more interactive with others, Matej stipulated that social interaction and support promotes the wellbeing of a person. For instance, social interaction helps individuals cope with stress and forgetting the negative aspects of lives leading to optimistic and positive thoughts (Spain, 2019). By promoting a positive mentality and attitude towards being more interactive, my goal becomes attainable.

Similarly, achieving a balanced personality is a life-long process and people need to acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, capitalizing on the strengths helps to promote a balanced personality. In the MBTI test, I realized I have a strong emotional intelligence trait, crucial for a managerial role. However, my sister implied that I need to build a strongly balanced personality as I seek out to be a future leader.

Realistic

For me to be able to help my father in his business, I need to have realistic and relevant areas of focus. As such, it is realistic and relevant to be an active group participant. It will help me learn or acquire skills to collaborate with the employees in building and growing my father's business. To be an active member calls also for being an effective listener. My father is a poor listener as he does not put the issues brought forth by the employees in his thoughts. Therefore, as I listen more to their grievances, I will become more active and interactive at the same time. By seeking to know the progress of the employees, I will promote their morale and job satisfaction. Finally, it is important for me to embrace progress by implementing realistic measures to foster a balanced personality trait crucial for a management role.

Timely

Timeliness is also crucial while setting goals. I seek to achieve my three areas of focus within the least time possible. I have assigned myself a three-month timeline to ensure that I achieve my areas of focus without pressure. My internal class coach stated that I should not overload myself with the pressure of accomplishment as it will often derail my progress whenever I become frustrated by personal failures. Therefore, my two coaches stipulated that ninety days are enough for me to realize my areas of focus.

References

Franz, T. M. (2012). Group Dynamics and Team Interventions: Understanding and Improving Team Performance. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Rouillard, L. (2003). Goals and Goal Setting: Achieveing Measured Objectives. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Spain, S. M. (2019). Leadership and Personality. Leadership, Work, and the Dark Side of

Personality, 149-176. Doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-812821-3.00006-2

Williams, S. (2015). Goals: Setting and Achieving S. M. A. R. T. Goals, How to Stay Motivated and Get Everything You Want from Your Life Faster. Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace.