Are Smart Goals Enough For Business Growth?

Have you set yourself some goals recently? If you've been on any sort of personal or professional development programme, there is a good chance they would be SMART. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time limited. So far, so good. Or is it? SMART makes me want to weep, rage or spit depending on the mood I'm in. Why? Because is there anything most likely to limit our creativity than only having realistic and achievable goals?

When I set myself a SMART goal, I might say something like 'Well, in April I ran a a workshop with 40 people. A realistic and achievable rate of growth might be 5%. So in March 2012 I will run a programme that has 42 delegates'. Realistic? Yes. Achievable? Yes. But does it inspire me, excite me, or get me out of bed in the morning? Um - no. Plus if you are a coach or a consultant, then it is even more insidious - it's bad enough that we might limit ourselves, and censor our potential in this way, but it's outrageous that we might do it to our clients. People who are paying us to help them make big changes.

I'm all for goals being specific, measureable and time limited. But let's throw out this notion of them being realistic and achievable. Let's make them totally inspirational and bodacious. Let's challenge both ourselves and our clients to answer the question 'If there were no limits, what would you want?' HOW you are going to do it comes later - for a moment, just focus on those 'take your breath away' goals that you really want to achieve. Feel the sense of excitement and enthusiasm that comes with setting these bodacious goals, and take that sense of passion into creating the how.

Let me give you a personal example. On the 2 January last year, I asked what the one thing was I really wanted to achieve, and my answer was write a book. I set myself the target of finding a publisher, writing the book and having it published by 30 June. I had no idea HOW I was going to do that, but I was so excited I knew I would find a way. In 19 days between 1-19 March, I wrote 50,000 words, and I handed final text to my publisher on 30 June. Everyone bar a few of my dream team who know I like a challenge said it couldn't be done. An achievable and realistic goal was to allow myself two years - I knew I would never do it if it took that long.

I also set some very challenging business goals for myself. Most of them were so huge I had no idea if I could achieve them - and actually, who knows, I may not. But what I have done is take bold, courageous and consistent action towards them. I've been hugely more creative than I would have been with an achievable and realistic goal. So wheather I make it or not, I'm MUCH closer to it than I would have been if I'd played safe.

So go for it - let's dump SMART and do SMIBT. The acronym may not be as good, but I bet the results are better. What are your inspiring and bodacious goals - I'd love to hear what goals you have for your business this year.