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SMART Goals Fuel Our Progress on the Path to Success

Chicago On-site goals are much more than just targets we strive to hit. They also give us a standard by which to measure the progress that we’re making. When they’re big enough, they inspire us to innovate while seizing opportunities to learn and grow as well.

This is why we teach our team members to use the SMART acronym for setting goals as part of our Chicago On-site training program. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-sensitive. Using these traits we can turn even the vaguest wish into a rock-solid objective.

For example, most people aim to get ahead in their careers. However, simply stating we want to earn a promotion lacks the specific details that ensure we stay on task. We need to add deadlines and context. Using the SMART acronym, our team members would turn this into, “Earn a promotion to assistant manager by the fourth quarter of 2019 so that I can afford a down payment on a new car.” This uses all elements of SMART to create a motivating target that can be used to determine our monthly, weekly, and even daily action steps.

Of course, SMART isn’t the only piece of the goal-setting puzzle. Visualization is a crucial skill and getting honest with ourselves about what really motivates us takes practice too. Like Chicago On-site on Facebook to learn more about these and other tips we share to help our people identify and achieve their career objectives.