Are your SMART Goals actually DUMB???

Schools are in the business of making all kids smarter, so how SMART do you think your school is?  Is it SMARTer than a 5th grader?  Finding the answer to the question is simple. How SMART are your school's goals?  After all, the SMARTer goals are, the more focused and more responsive your campus will be. 

The idea of SMART goals isn't a new concept. They have been around for some time now. Businesses use them, and campuses write their improvement plans around them, yet some schools seems much smarter than others.  Results seems to improve in one school while results appear to flatline in the school next door.  All schools have the same goals in common, but struggling schools have DUMB goals while the best schools have SMARTest goals. 

What is a SMART Goal?

Specific & Strategic

It is the one thing that the school must focus on that will make the biggest impact on all kids. 

Measureable

It is a goal that can be measured with targeted data over time. 

Attainable

It can be reached in a short period of time. 

Results-Oriented

It is tied to specific data points that can measure the goal's progress. 

Timebound 

It is monitored and reviewed at regular intervals throughout the year. 

What makes a SMART Goal become DUMB?

Disconnected

When a goal is created that doesn't have a thing to do with the daily work of the school, it is dumb. When the goal is largely ignored or not reviewed, SMART goals are referred to as stupid by the people within the school.

Unmeasured

If a SMART goal is never checked for growth or progress, or worse other things are measured in its place, the goal loses its measurement component; thus making it an ignorant goal. 

Mobile

Goals can't change with the initiative "du jour" or the leader's opinion of the day, otherwise they lose their power. SMART goals should be developed with much thought and followed with even greater commitment. 

Broad 

Goals, that are too broad or that cover too many areas of emphasis, kill the collective efficacy that a school needs for improvement. Broad goals are like saying, "We're going to move forward", but nobody knows what forward actually looks like. Furthermore, broad goals send people running in different directions, which in turn creates a lack of focus. 

How do We Keep SMART Goals SMART???

1.  KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid:  

Pick a goal or two that everyone can commit to. Too many goals or overly complex goals frustrate followers. 

2. Schedule RegularTimes to Measure:  

You schedule your dentist appointment 6 months in advance, right? Schedule your times in advance to check the progress of your SMART Goals at 6 or 9 week intervals and you'll never lose sight of them. 

3. Share the Leadership:  

If you want your SMART Goal to make the campus smarter, you have to include all the intelligence in the building and give others leadership responsibilities. SMART Goals are owned by all. 

4.  Celebrate Growth:  

There will be times where you won't make as much growth as you'd like. Find the successes and celebrate every time you review. If you're making negative growth, find the contributing factor and celebrate the fact that you found it.

#WhatGetsCelebratedGetsAccelerated

5.  Stick with It:  

Excellence is not an act, but a habit. Commit to your goal and work your plan every day to reach that goal. You'll be amazed at what will happen over time. 

Get SMART

Successful organizations aren't smarter. They're more focused and more efficient. The best quote that embodies the spirit of SMART Goals is this: 

It's not that I'm so smart. 

It's that I stay with the problem longer. 

-Albert Einstein- 

5 Ways to Find your Roar in 1-4

Christmas is over, and it's time to make those New Year's Resolutions. I know, I know. You're thinking, "What's the point?"  Resolutions never work. You feel guilty in January for making it in the first place so you start hitting at it, and by February, it fades into oblivion. Why do you think most workout joints turn into ghost towns in February?

Here's the reason. Permanent results require permanent changes. Unless we're committed to behaving differently, we can't really expect resolutions to have all that much effect on us. Resolutions require a little bit more than words of aspiration. They need a detailed plan of action which describes the behaviors that we will exhibit on our quest to achieve the desired outcome. 

Roar 

I always connect with motivational songs, and Katy Perry's song, "Roar", is a great motivator. The beat is catchy, and the lyrics are inspiring. The lyrics to the chorus represent exactly what every mindset needs to commit to a New Year's resolution. 

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire. 

'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar. 

Louder, louder than a lion. 

'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar. 

#PutThatOnYourMotivationPlaylist

So How Does This Apply to Me?

If you're wondering how you can make that New Year's Resolution actually come to fruition, here's 5 ways to help you find your "Roar in 1-4". 

1.  Set a Specific and Attainable Goal

Define in specific and attainable terms the person that you would like to become in 2014.

• What specifically do you want to be better at in your leadership, your health, your personal life or all 3? 
• What will you be like when you reach this goal? 
• How will you be different?  

If you don't have a vision of what you will be like when you reach your goal, you don't have much of chance of accomplishing the goal. 

2. Develop a Plan of Action. 

Define the specific behaviors and activities that you need to implement to accomplish your goal. If you want to be a better, you must commit to learning how to be a better. Reading, careful study and  learning from others are key action steps to making that should be included in your plan. 

3. Find a Coach or Accountability Partner

If you want to reach your goal, you need to find somebody that can hold you accountable. Find someone that will be honest with you and keep you on track. Ask them to help you stay focused on reaching that goal, and coach you when you start to struggle.

4.  Measure your Progress

Resolutions fail because people fail to measure change over time. Just like a scale measures your weight, all goals need to have some way to be measured. Whether it is quantitative data that can show you numerical progress or the qualitative data of feedback from peers and colleagues, determine the data that you will collect to gauge growth. 

5.  Recommit Every Day

Change is never easy. It challenges us to get out of our comfort zone and be something different from who we currently are. If you want to reach your goal, you have to  recommit to your resolution every day.  If you stick with it, chances are you will reach your goal. We all get weak and have moments where we want to stop.  Keeping the goal in the forefront helps us never give up. 

Hear Me Roar

Resolutions are very important part of the beginning of each new year. If you think about it, you really only have about 70 opportunities to make a New Year's Resolution stick. We forget that the purpose of a resolution is to test our resolve and to challenge us to be a better person, a better spouse, a better parent, or a better leader.  Sadly, many resolutions fade away due to the stress and the busyness of life. Resolutions fail because people say they don't have time when in actuality they fail to make the necessary time to invest in the change. In 2014, I challenge me and you to not make a half-hearted resolution. I challenge all of us to make time to find our "Roar in 1-4".