For as helpful as acronyms are, they can be overwhelming and daunting. Especially on the job where there is an acronym for everything, you or your employees might be at the point of, “great, what’s this one mean.”
Problem is, when talking about goals and goal-setting, that’s pretty much the opposite reaction of one you’d like to see. Instead, you want motivation and excitement; the feeling of starting fresh and maintaining focus. That’s what setting goals should be about.
While people might run and hide from the mere mention of a SMART goal, when embraced and accepted, it can be a powerful tool to improve performance and thus job satisfaction.
The way to get there is explanation. Sure, the acronym has been around for quite some time now, but believe it or not, everyone doesn’t know what it means. Not to mention even seasoned professionals probably flub on the “A” or the “R” at times.
So, this template for SMART goals is a great start. Not only can it be customized to achieve the feel you want to portray – professional, fun, informational, etc. – but it help in explaining each of the letter steps as you go.
As such, I’ve provided a few examples of just how much the template can be customized, hopefully sparking some ideas of what you can do for you and your team to obtain the best results. Do you need text-heavy explanations? Something more graphic-focused? How about a specific size?
Before taking a look, if you need a refresher, here you go!
SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable (or achievable), relevant, and time-based.
- Specific: What exactly do you want to accomplish?
- Measurable: How can the goal be measured or quantified? What’s the barometer?
- Attainable: Is the goal realistic and achievable?
- Relevant: Does the goal relate to company and/or department objectives?
- Time-Based: How much time do you have to accomplish the goal?
As mentioned, here are examples (all included when you click the link) of the different direction you can take your template once you jump in. These can also be downloaded as PDFs or easily shared, if you wanted.
What Can You Do With This Template?
I mentioned a few things above, but to summarize, you have free rein to change the template as you wish. That means colors, uploading fonts to Canva, adding graphics, text, and more.
If you’re already familiar with Canva, even better. If not, it’s extremely easy to use. It’s also free, but some graphic elements and capabilities require Canva Pro at a very “worth it” cost of $12.95/month. Not to mention there is a 30-day free trial to get you started:
How to Use the Template
Simply click any of the links above that lead to it, or this one right here. Upon doing so, you’ll be directed to Canva via a screen that looks like this:
Once you click “use template” you’ll be prompted to sign up or log in. Once submitted, you’ll be on your way!
As always, if you have a specific template need or have a question about how to do something, please feel free to reach out and I’ll do my best to not only respond immediately, but to incorporate your needs into a future or current design. Best of luck!
