What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Supernova teams incorporates business planning into their model and continually tweak it to keep up with current conditions. They plan an annual two day meeting, 4 quarterly 1/2 day meetings, a weekly 1 hour meetings and daily 10 minute stand up meetings to create, customize and adjust their goals. You can create S.M.A.R.T. Goals following the guidelines set forth by Paul J. Meyer in his book, “Attitude Is Everything.”
| SMART Goals | Goal Needs Work | Goal is Much Better |
| Goals should be specific. | I want to work with people. | I want to plan social and educational programs for children and adolescents. |
| Goals should be measurable. Have a yardstick for measuring outcomes. | I want to do well in my classes. | I want to earn a 3.00 GPA this year with no grade below B. |
| Goals should be attainable. Draft realistic goals that challenge you but that are also realistic. | I want to earn my law degree within one year of graduation. | I want to earn my law degree within 3 years of graduation. |
| Goals should be relevant. Make sure each goal is consistent with other goals you have established and fits with your immediate and long-range plans. | I wish to thoroughly review each career listed in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. | I will spend time in the Career Resource Lab researching careers associated with my Communication major. |
| Goals should be time bound. Give yourself time to achieve your goals. | I will graduate. | I will graduate in four years by taking 15 hours a semester |
Specific – A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:
Measurable – Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work.
Relevant – A goal should line up with your values, morals, and likes/dislikes. Creating a goal to run a marathon in the next year is not a good goal if you hate running. You won’t be motivated to achieve it.
Time Bound – A goal must have a target date. If you desire to make a million dollars, but don’t set the timeline for it, it won’t be motivating. A deadline too far in the future is too easily put off. A goal that’s set too close is not only unrealistic, it’s discouraging.
Long Term Goals: long term goals are simply a description of what you want for yourself in the future — say about 3 to 5 years out. The best way to define them is to give examples: graduate college, get a good job, find a life partner, etc…Then set short term goals to reach that long term goal.
Click here to download a form you can fill out to define your goals.