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Leadership
for Saints,
Part 17: The
Value of SMART Goals by
Rodger Dean Duncan and Ed J. Pinegar
How do you know
what kind of goals to set? The whole point of setting goals, of
course, is to achieve them. The best goals are smart goals.
Actually, SMART goals is more like it. SMART stands for
the five characteristics of well-designed goals.
• Specific:
Goals must be clear and unambiguous. Vague ambitions and platitudes
have no place in goal setting. When goals are specific, they tell
people precisely what is expected, when, and how much. Only with
specific goals are you able to measure progress.
• Measurable:
What good is a goal if you can’t measure progress. When goals
are not measurable, you never know if or when or even how you’re
making progress toward their completion. Not only that, but it’s
very difficult for your people to stay motivated to complete the
goals in the absence of milestones to indicate progress.
• Attainable:
Goals must be realistic and attainable. As we indicated earlier,
goals should give people something to stretch for, but they should
not be out of reach. Neither, of course, should goals be too easy.
Goals that are set too high or too low become meaningless and people
tend to ignore them.
• Relevant:
Goals must be an important element in the overall plan of achieving
your mission and reaching your vision. It’s estimated that
80 percent of people’s productivity often comes from 20 percent
of their activities. You can guess where the remaining 80 percent
of effort ends up. Relevant goals address the 20 percent of the
effort that has the greatest impact on performance.
• Time-bound:
Effective goals have starting points, ending points, and fixed durations.
People are better able to focus their efforts on goal attainment
when they are committed to deadlines. Goals without schedules or
deadlines tend to get lost in the rush of day-to-day life.
To illustrate how this
approach adds value and power to goal-setting, let’s compare
a SMART goal with a not-so-smart goal. (This is vital in all councils,
especially family councils.)
Let’s say a ward
council is discussing the Young Men and Young Women programs and
the bishopric asks the YM and YW leaders to suggest a goal for the
coming year. A not-so-smart goal might be something like “Get
the youth more involved in activities.”
On the surface, this
certainly seems like a worthy aspiration. But what does it really
mean? Does “more involved” mean greater attendance?
Does it mean having more fun? Does it mean cheering louder at basketball
games? And what “activities” are included in this goal?
You’ll notice that
this not-so-smart goal is not specific. It is not measurable because
we don’t know specifically what to measure. It is really not
attainable because, lacking specificity and measurability, there’s
no way to know if and when the goal is reached. The goal is only
marginally relevant because, although it alludes to involving the
youth in activities, the lack of specifics dilutes it to “platitude”
status. And the goal is not time-bound because it has no starting
point, no ending point and no fixed duration.
For the sake of illustration,
let’s say that what the ward council members really mean is:
• We want our young
men and young women to love the Lord, obey the commandments, build
strong testimonies and have an unstoppable desire to serve missions,
be married in the temple and raise righteous, eternal families.
• We want to do
everything possible to fortify our youth against the evils of the
world and help them live in the world without embracing the dangerous
standards of the world.
While these are wonderful
aspirations, they are not at all implied in the goal “Get
the youth more involved in activities.”
Getting Started
If this goal is the starting
point of discussion, good questions to ask would include:
“Exactly which
‘youth’ are we talking about?”
“Do we mean just
the young men and young women who would be regarded as ‘active,’
or do we also mean those teenagers who are on the rolls but who
rarely or never attend church?”
“At what point
do our less active youth seem to be slipping away? Is it right after
the transition from Primary? What seem to be some of the root causes
of inactivity?”
“Exactly which
‘activities’ are we talking about? Sunday YM and YW
meeting? Mid-week sporting events? Trips to the temple to do baptisms?”
“Exactly what would
‘more involved’ look like? Does this mean the deacons
will participate in congregation hymn-singing during sacrament meeting?
Does this mean that every priest will be an Eagle Scout? Does this
mean all the Laurels will play a part in next summer’s road
show?”
“When will all
this happen? Are we talking about accomplishing this ‘goal’
by Christmas, or by when today’s youngest deacon has his missionary
farewell seven years from now?”
Do you get the message?
SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and
Time-bound—have punch and power. A broad brush not-so-smart
goal like “Get the youth more involved in activities”
can be transformed into a series of SMART goals that actually contribute
to the saving of souls.
Quotes to Remember
Only specific
goals are useful. – Vaughn J. Featherstone
When performance
is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured
and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates. –
Thomas S. Monson
Honesty with
oneself and setting of desirable but attainable goals day by day
can determine the paths we follow. – Marvin J. Ashton
We use so much
of our time in rushing around, not thinking always what we ought
to be, nor what it is that matters most. Sometimes we set our hearts
on things we feel we have to have, and when we get them find they
don't mean as much as once we thought they would. – Richard
L. Evans
… set
specific goals for what we would have to do in our lives…and
then of course to reach our goals by the designated time.
– Jay A. Parry
From these deep-seated
beliefs, we develop specific goals and establish the standards for
evaluating their accomplishment. We then proceed to act, interact,
and react according to our determination of what is right and appropriate.
– Kay P. Edwards
May we launch
straightway toward setting goals that are gospel oriented, knowing
that if we use the talents that are ours—that if we help others,
strive for peace, avoid being overly sensitive or overly critical—strength
upon strength will be added to our own abilities and we will move
straightway toward greater growth, happiness, and eternal joys.
– Marvin J. Ashton
Note:
The excerpts of Leadership for Saints posted on Meridian
are only a fraction of the contents of this 349-page book. To learn
more about this ground-breaking book and to order copies, click
here.
Contents
Section 1: Understanding the Role of Leadership
Chapter 1
- What Great Leadership Is
Chapter 2 - What Great Leaders Are
Chapter 3 - What Great Leaders See
Chapter 4 - What Great Leaders Do
Section 2: Getting
the Results You and the Lord Want
Chapter 5
- Planning the Work, Working the Plan
Chapter 6 - Councils: Strength in Unity
Chapter 7 - Creating a Climate of Hope and Energy
Section 3: Skills
That Help You Sleep at Night
Chapter 8
- Communication: Building Bridges to Their Hearts
Chapter 9 - Stewardship Delegation: The Great Multiplier
Chapter 10 - The Power of Influence
Chapter 11 - Gatherings of Saints: Think Purpose, Not Meeting
Section 4: Special
Challenges and Opportunities
Chapter 12
- Discernment: The Gift of Great Price
Chapter 13 - Personal Balance: Your "Being" vs. Your
"Doing"
Chapter 14 - Common Questions, Humble Responses
About
the Authors:
Rodger Dean
Duncan, a descendant of 19th century Protestant evangelists, was
baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at
the age of 18. Early in his career he was an award-winning journalist,
editor and syndicated columnist. He has been a consultant to cabinet
officers under two U.S. presidents, members of the U.S. Senate,
and senior officers of major corporations. He earned a Ph.D. at
Purdue University, and is founder and president of The Duncan Company,
a consulting firm focused on leadership development and organizational
effectiveness.
Brother Duncan
has served on several stake high councils, twice as bishop, as stake
president, and as stake mission president. Under President Spencer
W. Kimball he served on the Advisory Council that first recommended
the subtitle to the Book of Mormon, "Another Testament of Jesus
Christ."
Brother Duncan
is married to Rean Robbins-Duncan, a fifth-generation Latter-day
Saint. They have four children and two grandchildren. The Duncans
live in Missouri, only a short walk from Historic Liberty Jail.
Ed
J. Pinegar, a dentist by training and vocation, graduated from Brigham
Young University and attended dental school at the University of
Southern California. While practicing dentistry, he taught seminary
for several years, then taught the Book of Mormon and Gospel Principles
and Practices courses at BYU for 18 years.
Brother
Pinegar's Church assignments include stake high councilor, bishop
(twice), stake president, member of the General Board for Young
Men, and member of the Missionary Programs Advisory Committee. He
also presided over the England London Mission and the Missionary
Training Center in Provo, Utah. He is author of several books for
the LDS market.
Brother
Pinegar is married to Patricia Peterson Pinegar, former General
President of the Primary for the Church. They are parents of eight
children and have 32 grandchildren. The Pinegars live in Orem, Utah.
