SMART Objectives
It has been discussed that the paper written by George Doran "There is a SMART way to write management's goals and objectives", set the current standard regarding this subject. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound are the elements which have to worry you initially. Of course, there are a few more pointers that have to be taken into consideration.
General Objective vs Short-Term Objectives
I like to compare the matter of setting objectives with our routine, as it is easy to identify and relate to a common daily task. One can propose a variety of goals, from losing 20 pounds, to running a marathon, to learning a new language. The way I like to see it, is by attaining short-term objectives, but of course you have to put into perspective the length and difficulty your goal has, compared to the time and resources you have to dedicate to it. One example I will blog about in another future entry, is how Bobby Fischer set his life objective to become world chess champion. By the time Bobby decided to quit high-school, he knew that becoming chess champion was all he wanted to do in his life. Of course, you don't become world champion in weeks or months. It takes a lot of time, effort, sacrifice, discipline. I will examine this example later on, but what I want to save is that losing 20 pounds should be measured with a different bar than becoming world chess champion.
Mental strength to resist giving up
The weight subject is particularly fascinating, because people who jump on this bandwagon, can get easily frustrated the results don't show as quick as they wish, despite how much initial effort is dedicated to the goal. It normally takes three to four months for our bodies to change its metabolism and adapt to a "lose-weight" diet or exercise regime.
It's quite similar to the goal of running a half-marathon in six months. As a runner myself and having trained lots of my friends, I can vow that the first four to five weeks are as frustrating as you can imagine, because you keep putting calories into it and you are barely making it to 3 miles. I remember training with a friend who was just about to give up after week 5, and I told him to give himself one more week to see results. As he began week 6, all of a sudden he was able to make it to 5 miles, very easily. I remember he told me "I feel like I could go on to six or seven, but I held up and stuck to the plan", the plan being, educate your body to gradually gain strength and resistance so you can gradually pick up pace, time and distance.
Sacrifice
While I'm a believer that working towards completing an objective has to be a pleasure, it shouldn't be confused with pleasure time or leisure time. The bottom line is, there will be times in which you have to be willing to give something up and favor your goal.
I compare this to reading books: whether if it's the Divine comedy, a novel or a history book, reading pretty much requires 100 % of your attention and focus. It's sort of a selfish hobby, but it's able to teach yourself about being disciplined and balancing your activities. Bottom line is, when your reading Dante's masterpiece, you are exclusively devoted to it and nothing else.
Objectives have a similar treat. Whether if it's time with your family, time with your friends, tasting a sweet cream cake, an assesment of what is going to be sacrificed must be made when setting your goal.
Motivation
This is a tricky aspect of objectives because it depends on whether your goals are individual or from part of a team.
Corporate objectives -my personal favorites- deal with numbers, sales, financial, collections, and are empowered by a group of people who have similar and different mindsets from yours at any given time. Also, another question to ask is: are you the proposer of the goal or a follower of the goal? Both ends have unique responsibilities that can influence your surroundings in a positive or negative way. It's normal that the role played for each one of us, is a dual one: become a motivator and receive motivation.
Key things to evaluate: who am I counting with ? what resources do I have ? who in my team is a key player to reach the goal ?
Individual goals
An individual objective can be seen as a corporate/team goal, only that you are the entire team. That's a lot of tons over your shoulders, and you have to be prepared to take the heat from it. If the team is feeling bad, then you are feeling bad; if the team is on a roll, then you are on a roll. You ARE the team.
The challenge in individual goals is the lack of human resources. There is no one to encourage you (depending on the goal), and there is no one who can make further progress on reaching the goal. It's all you. That's why I consider that individual goals have to externalized; not necessarily shared with other people, but to have something you can rely on to measure your progress. For instance, if you want to save $10,000 from your salary within six months, then write yourself a nice board, with how much you are saving every week, and put some checkmarks along the way, to track how well your progress is going.
Inspiration
While I do not have any particular idols or people I admire, I do believe that you must have an inspiration in order to help you push towards your objective. It can be tangible or not, but it has to be always there, serving as a reminder and a reason for your effort.
Inspiration is pretty much like writting or speaking in public. It's an emotion that shows up and makes you do things, sometimes even extraordinary things. In my job, we have this friendly competition that inspires different teams who do not work together, to perform better separatelly. The inspiration is a simple as to be able to prove that you are part of the best team.
Closing thoughts
There's something I have learned it is one of the most important factors in the business world, when dealing with your co-workers, employees, clients and in general, dealing with stakeholders: reaching your goals. Everyone will benefit from the positive consequences, such as rewards, satisfaction, triumph and success.
There is one more important element though: make a habit of reaching your goals.
General Objective vs Short-Term Objectives
I like to compare the matter of setting objectives with our routine, as it is easy to identify and relate to a common daily task. One can propose a variety of goals, from losing 20 pounds, to running a marathon, to learning a new language. The way I like to see it, is by attaining short-term objectives, but of course you have to put into perspective the length and difficulty your goal has, compared to the time and resources you have to dedicate to it. One example I will blog about in another future entry, is how Bobby Fischer set his life objective to become world chess champion. By the time Bobby decided to quit high-school, he knew that becoming chess champion was all he wanted to do in his life. Of course, you don't become world champion in weeks or months. It takes a lot of time, effort, sacrifice, discipline. I will examine this example later on, but what I want to save is that losing 20 pounds should be measured with a different bar than becoming world chess champion.
 |
| In a future entry I will share how Bobby reached his goal and compare it to business objectives |
Mental strength to resist giving up
The weight subject is particularly fascinating, because people who jump on this bandwagon, can get easily frustrated the results don't show as quick as they wish, despite how much initial effort is dedicated to the goal. It normally takes three to four months for our bodies to change its metabolism and adapt to a "lose-weight" diet or exercise regime.
It's quite similar to the goal of running a half-marathon in six months. As a runner myself and having trained lots of my friends, I can vow that the first four to five weeks are as frustrating as you can imagine, because you keep putting calories into it and you are barely making it to 3 miles. I remember training with a friend who was just about to give up after week 5, and I told him to give himself one more week to see results. As he began week 6, all of a sudden he was able to make it to 5 miles, very easily. I remember he told me "I feel like I could go on to six or seven, but I held up and stuck to the plan", the plan being, educate your body to gradually gain strength and resistance so you can gradually pick up pace, time and distance.
 |
| Tools like Nike+ help you visualize and build your mental strength. If you don't have it, the old paper and pen trick also works. |
Sacrifice
While I'm a believer that working towards completing an objective has to be a pleasure, it shouldn't be confused with pleasure time or leisure time. The bottom line is, there will be times in which you have to be willing to give something up and favor your goal.
I compare this to reading books: whether if it's the Divine comedy, a novel or a history book, reading pretty much requires 100 % of your attention and focus. It's sort of a selfish hobby, but it's able to teach yourself about being disciplined and balancing your activities. Bottom line is, when your reading Dante's masterpiece, you are exclusively devoted to it and nothing else.
Objectives have a similar treat. Whether if it's time with your family, time with your friends, tasting a sweet cream cake, an assesment of what is going to be sacrificed must be made when setting your goal.
 |
| Reading is similar to a high-focus concentration task in your work environment. I'll expand more into this in another future entry |
Motivation
This is a tricky aspect of objectives because it depends on whether your goals are individual or from part of a team.
Corporate objectives -my personal favorites- deal with numbers, sales, financial, collections, and are empowered by a group of people who have similar and different mindsets from yours at any given time. Also, another question to ask is: are you the proposer of the goal or a follower of the goal? Both ends have unique responsibilities that can influence your surroundings in a positive or negative way. It's normal that the role played for each one of us, is a dual one: become a motivator and receive motivation.
Key things to evaluate: who am I counting with ? what resources do I have ? who in my team is a key player to reach the goal ?
 |
| Motivation can be a powerful force to drive you and those around you |
Individual goals
An individual objective can be seen as a corporate/team goal, only that you are the entire team. That's a lot of tons over your shoulders, and you have to be prepared to take the heat from it. If the team is feeling bad, then you are feeling bad; if the team is on a roll, then you are on a roll. You ARE the team.
The challenge in individual goals is the lack of human resources. There is no one to encourage you (depending on the goal), and there is no one who can make further progress on reaching the goal. It's all you. That's why I consider that individual goals have to externalized; not necessarily shared with other people, but to have something you can rely on to measure your progress. For instance, if you want to save $10,000 from your salary within six months, then write yourself a nice board, with how much you are saving every week, and put some checkmarks along the way, to track how well your progress is going.
 |
| Tennis is the epytome of handling individual objectives. It's always you, your thoughts and yourself on the court, vs the rest |
Inspiration
While I do not have any particular idols or people I admire, I do believe that you must have an inspiration in order to help you push towards your objective. It can be tangible or not, but it has to be always there, serving as a reminder and a reason for your effort.
Inspiration is pretty much like writting or speaking in public. It's an emotion that shows up and makes you do things, sometimes even extraordinary things. In my job, we have this friendly competition that inspires different teams who do not work together, to perform better separatelly. The inspiration is a simple as to be able to prove that you are part of the best team.
 |
| I know it's cliché, but the before and after photos (now selfies) are a powerful inspiration to everyone |
Closing thoughts
There's something I have learned it is one of the most important factors in the business world, when dealing with your co-workers, employees, clients and in general, dealing with stakeholders: reaching your goals. Everyone will benefit from the positive consequences, such as rewards, satisfaction, triumph and success.
There is one more important element though: make a habit of reaching your goals.
 |
| I have a lot of respect towards this guy. He has made a habit of reaching his goals. |
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