Bossy Women Set SMART Goals

by Yasmine Moulin

To be successful, we as women cannot have a “que sera sera” attitude. We need to be an active participant in how we will be successful.

Setting goals for things we want to do and have, and working towards them will give us direction, meaning and purpose. It will point us in the right direction, and ultimately help us have a happy life.

Your goals should drive your focus and define who you want and will be. Did you set goals last year? Did they reflect what was the most important for you and what would make you happy and successful in your personal and professional life?

Did you know, those who write down their goals accomplish significantly more than those who don’t? Goals that are visible have a greater chance of success and are necessary to help us plan, monitor and review our progress.

Let’s set goals that inspire us, drive us, and keep those goals firmly in mind and in action. We already have so many daily demands on our time and energy. How do we write down our goals in the best and most efficient way?

Let’s use the SMART acronym to set and achieve our goals.

Specific

What do you really want? What do you want your personal and professional life to look like? Really think about what you want. Visualize it! Feel it! Don’t just say, “I want a to be the VP of …”, imagine it. See yourself e.g. in that corner office; visualize yourself leading your team; the feeling you have of having successfully inspired your team.

Measurable

Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured gets done”. Sit down and write down your goals. Set a plan, map it out. Short and long term goals e.g. 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months etc. Be diligent in reviewing your goals. Be accountable.

Spend 15 minutes each morning reviewing your goals, updating your ‘to do’ list, and what needs to be done today, this week etc., to get you closer to achieving each goal. Then each week and each month, review carefully your goals. Adjust your plan if needed, and continue to move forward.

Attainable

An attainable goal is one that you are in control of and you can achieve. Remember these are your goals, so you will need to make them happen. Always be realistic and ask yourself: Is it possible for me to reach this goal? If you are working within a team or leading a team, do you have their buy-in, their support? What do you need to do, to get them on board?

If you are not in control of your goals, you need to revise how you are presenting your goals. Remember, they are your goals and so you need to be in control of achieving them.

Realistic

Be as realistic as possible. What do you really want to achieve? If you’ve never managed or lead a team, being part of a senior leadership team in 3 months and being successful, is not realistic. Set yourself up to succeed not fail.

Timely

To avoid being overwhelmed and quitting even before you’ve started, break down each goal. Write down when each goal should be done by. Without time limits, it’s easy to put goals off or lose focus. Set some short-term milestones toward each goal as well. This will help you measure your progress.

Goal setting and achieving those goals are not always easy. You will encounter roadblocks and hiccups along the way, that’s life. But your diligence in persevering your SMART goals will help you become a successful BOSSY WOMAN.

Don’t forget to celebrate your small achievements as well as your big achievements. This will encourage you to see how far you’ve come and also motivate you to keep moving forward.