Create Focus - Use SMART Goals To Fence Yourself In

We create focus when we fence ourselves in. And the best tool for building those fences are SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Realistic and Time specific. How often have you had ten different things you could be doing – each one with value, each one requiring time and concentration, and the result is you find yourself thinking about what else you could be doing rather than focusing on what you are doing? And you're tempted to put down what you're doing and rush into what you feel – at this moment – is a more important thing.

Creating fences with SMART goals results in working on the few really important things – without having to constantly argue with yourself about what you should be or could be doing.

Most people don't connect fences with freedom, but fences create the freedom to be effective – they eliminate the focus killers of too many alternatives – too many distractions – too many interests – too many possibilities.

I have a good friend who has a very high Theoretical motivator. That means he places a high value on the acquisition of knowledge and information. He's an expert in his field – and in a lot of other fields as well. The problem he has is that he just keeps acquiring information and knowledge – as if they are an end in themselves.. He's been criticized for that behavior. He's learned that his motivator is a valuable one to have, but it can become a weakness when carried too far. He guards against that by defining goals at the start of every project – SMART goals – so that he keeps himself within boundaries and focuses on accomplishment.

SMART goals create fences on a group and team level as well. A client had a real problem with meetings that lasted for hours and resulted in very little being accomplished. The organization was full of smart, energetic people who brought a lot of ideas, suggestions, concerns and dialogue to every meeting. Few meetings stayed on course. A lot of valuable time was spent without much to show for it.

The solution?

1 - Set a SMART goal for every meeting - communicate it before the meeting so people could prepare – place the goal statement in a prominent place at the meeting so it could be referred to – a valuable way to bring the subject back on track.
2 – Meetings must have time limits and agendas.
3 - The person accountable for hosting the meeting is accountable for seeing that the structure for the meeting is in place.

Setting up the fences was the easy part – getting the participants to stay in them was a challenge. But the result was worth it. The number of meetings went down, the effectiveness of meetings went up. Time had a higher value, and more people got home for dinner and time with their families.

Creating focus through SMART goals – and setting up fences to keep focus works best with active, optimistic, curious, energetic people, teams and organizations. The kind of high energy, opportunistic people, teams and organizations that have tremendous potential for accomplishment, but need to guard against too much energy and commitment not being focused on the important few things.

If that describes you personally, or if it describes your team or organization, apply SMART goals to leverage resources and gain competitive advantage. It's worth the time and effort to set the goals and focus all that capacity for accomplishment. It's the difference between being busy and being effective.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

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