As the new year approaches, many will be thinking about New Year resolutions. Perhaps you are starting to think about some personal goals, or maybe you are considering what your conservation project team might be able to accomplish in the upcoming year.
Many of you are familiar with the idea of creating SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-oriented, and Time-bound.). As a Christmas gift to you, I will share three additional tips and techniques that you can employ in any goal-setting process in the new year and beyond 😊.
Tip 1: Goals are never SMART enough to begin with—and that’s ok. When I work with a team, I don’t ask them to create a SMART goal at first. I just say, “tell me what the measurable thing is you want to achieve that defines success, and tell me when you want to achieve it.” After they get their thoughts out, then I push them hard to be more specific. No team is EVER specific enough at first. They must be pushed to get super specific about what successful achievement looks like.
Tip 2: There are lots of ways a goal can be Time-bound. Obviously, a goal is time-bound if the statement starts, “By January 2026….,” but there are other ways to make it time-bound. For example, the goal could state, “By 1 year following strategy implementation…X happens”, or “Every three months, Y happens.” The point is, there must be no ambiguity about when the team can expect to see the result.
Tip 3: Aim for an aluminum standard. If I can get a team to get 80% of the way to a well-articulated SMART goal, I’m happy and we move on. Goal setting is typically a highly iterative process, and often we need to go out and start doing before we can really know what is achievable, and by when. Don’t aim for a gold-standard goal at first. Rather, be satisfied with quickly hitting the aluminum standard. This will keep you out of the weeds and keep the planning process moving.
Merry Christmas, and may you have a strategic New Year!
