Dr. Brittany Castonguay 2 October 2024 #professionaldevelopment
Professional and personal growth can sometimes seem daunting. You want to learn new skills but don’t have the time. It can also be frustrating to feel overwhelmed and unable to prioritize yourself. To help conceptualize your own growth, SHRI recommends using SMART goals to get you started. SMART goals are a tactic to help you break down an overwhelming task into more manageable portions with higher success rates.
The SMART acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. SMART is an effective goal-management technique that we recommend in a multitude of situations. Once you become an effective goal setter using SMART techniques, you will find yourself setting SMART goals in other areas of your life. SMART goals take the unachievable and make it doable. You create this shift in perspective by creating a descriptive goal that contains the following:
Specific- what do you want to do?
Measurable- how will you accomplish this?
Achievable- Is this doable?
Realistic- Can I reasonably accomplish this? What resources do I need to be successful?
Timely- How much time do I need to be successful?
If you find yourself wanting to learn a new skill but are unsure how to start and be successful in your desires, try following this format:
I want to learn __________.
I can learn these new skills by doing the following: WHAT SPECIFIC STEPS CAN YOU TAKE?
I will devote _________ (time amount) each DAY/WEEK/MONTH to working on these skills. The time and effort I am putting towards these skills are realistic because I will talk with an accountability partner, __________(insert name), so I can master this skill over a ____________(length of time).
EX) I want to learn better communication skills. I can improve my communication skills by practicing with a mentor for 30 minutes once a week. The time and effort I am putting towards improving my communication skills are realistic because I will talk with an accountability partner once a week to improve my communication skills over three months to become a more effective leader.
Why does SMART work?
SMART goals are a beneficial way to work towards a goal because they take something that can appear overwhelming and help prioritize the goal to fit our busy lifestyle better. Suddenly, once a week for thirty minutes is more appetizing. Having an accountability partner keeps you in check. Next thing you know, you are consistently working on developing a new skill you once thought you didn’t have time to do and are growing in both your personal and professional desires.
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