Setting S-M-A-R-T GOALS

What is the meaning of "SMART" goals and why a person should set these "SMART" goals. In this blog I am going to answer these two very pivot questions which were discussed in Prof. Mandi's lecture today.

Firstly lets segregate the acronym "SMART":

S  – Specific, Simple, Strategic, Sustainable.
M – Measurable,
A – Achievable, Ambitious.
R – Realistic, Rational.
T – Time, Tangible.

  

Now comes the main question. How to set SMART goals in an organization?

As elementary as it might sound here, the goal setting process is an elaborate process and something that has baffled managers for quite some time in an effort to get it right. With the mix of different company policies and a mix of employees from different strata and backgrounds, there is no single uniform flowchart that can be followed in an effort to set the right goals.

Positioning your Goal Set

Legend:
A - Attained/Past Performance

B - Achieved Performance

C - Goal Set

D - Potential

In Infosys where I worked, every employee had enormous potential to excel and help the organization to prosper. So Goals were set keeping these points in mind. My manager used to set goals for me by  analyzing my past performance. 

Let me explain by an example. Our performance here is measured in terms of points/rating (in %) secured.

Here is the rating process criteria: (This isn't the exact criteria but through this way it would be easy for you to understand)

Points Achieved - Performance/Rating

Below 100         - Under performer

Exact 100          - Met Target/Expectation

Above 100         - Exceeded expectation

If a person finishes everything on deadline, delivers quality work then only he was given 100 points.

To achieve 120 (above 100) one need to participate in extra assignments that are floated time to time.

My Case:

In my 1st quarter my manager set target of 110 for me. But when my appraisal was done I found I just got 90 that means I used to finish work on time but never beat deadlines.At this point my manager could have set lower or same target of 110 for my next cycle but NO he set target of achieving 120 points. To achieve this he used to mentor me time to time, even I worked on extra assignments that were floated. And Guess what !!! In end my rating points were '110'. That's where the manager comes into play, he would effectively help you to attain the goal set and thus realize your potential. 

Effectively, the ambitious efforts of my manager had helped me to attain a higher level of performance! Going ahead, my goals were scaled up time and again, and it bore the same effect.

Observation:
How effectively, the manager has been able to utilize the potential of his employee and through successive iterations, scaled him up to be a better performer and a better contributor towards the success of the organization. I had seen this personally in my work where it made me a better and effective employee over the days.