By Linc York, Induron Sales Representative and Davies Hood, Induron President
At Induron, goals are very important. Our President, Davies Hood, sets goals for our company as a whole each year, but he also encourages us to (or requires us to) make our own personal and professional goals.
Davies asked several of us to share our thoughts on goal making for a blog series. I worked hard to achieve my goals in 2015, and I’m honored that Davies asked me to contribute.
Goals are important for several reasons, possibly the most important is that effective goals require us to change our activities in order to improve our chosen results. In short, a good goal is achieved even if the actual intended result is not. The real beauty is in the pursuit of a goal.
Now, how do you set effective goals? At Induron, we use and recommend the SMART goal process. SMART stands for Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. To us, achievable and relevant are the two most important aspects. An achievable goal is a goal that is a ‘stretch’ but doable. A relevant goal should align with the overall mission. BUT, for any goal to truly be a SMART goal it needs to align with all five!
I think goals and goal setting are key elements for success in business and in life. We all need a way to measure and compare our performance to others in order to stay motivated to cross the finish line.
The trick is to set realistic goals that challenge us while providing the opportunity to celebrate our successes once they are achieved.
At Induron, we do a great job of celebrating successes. For instance, last year a group of us went on a sales reward trip to Puerto Rico. It’s that kind of reward that motivates us to work hard for our company. We know that rewards are not a given, but when we do have the opportunity to enjoy them together, it makes us even stronger as a team