Setting Employees Up for Success: The Power of SMART Goals in Management

If your employee doesn’t create the results you were expecting, is it his fault, or is it yours?

There has only been one thing I’ve used consistently during my 30 years in management, and that has been SMART goals; Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

Or, to put it another way, if your employees don’t know what you expect and by when, they simply can’t deliver it. That makes it your fault, not theirs.

Us managers have the benefit of seeing the big picture and understanding how all the little pieces fit into it. Our employees most likely do not; their entire world is limited to their little piece of the big picture. They may not understand the how or why of what we ask. So, we need to be clear. I could say ‘I need you to fill potholes’ and then get ticked off becuase the potholes I wanted filled weren’t, and those that were, took too long; they weren’t completed in time for the state legislator’s visit which made it exponentially more difficult to ask for more funds based on our timely and effective use of previously given funds.

Here’s an example of a SMART goal:

Specific: I need the potholes on 1st at Oak, 5th at Pine, and 10th at Maple filled.

Measurable: I need you to send me pictures of the work completed as soon as it is completed (so I can post them on the website and brag about the great work you do).

Attainable: I know that you have cold patch, shovels, and rollers in the shop and that you have experience doing this in the past, so I know it’s completely possible.

Realistic: This task falls within your area of expertise, uses the experience you already have, and is well within your job description as the Director of Public Works. It’s also somewhat easy to fit in among your regular tasks.

Timely: I need this done by the end of the week, before the state legislator comes next week. Based on your past performance and my research, I know it takes two hours to do similar-sized holes so three holes should take about six hours over the course of the week.

This sets the employee up for success. He’s not being asked to do anything beyond what’s possible, he knows exactly what you’re expecting, and when you expect it to be completed. He also knows how to show you that it has been completed.

I also use this to ‘manage up’, as they say. When the legislative body to which I answer tells me to “fix communications,” I ask some basic questions. These include: What specifically do you think is broken (Specific)? How would you measure my success or what would make you say ‘yes, you nailed that’ (Measurable)? Do I need to do this within my current budget and workday or do I have additional funds available to bring in people or solutions (Attainable)? What are your expections – what does ‘fix communications’ mean to you (Realistic)? And finally, by when do you need this completed (Timely)?

Clarity and specifics are the key to success!