S: Specific

First I will give a brief explanation of what SMART goals are as a whole before diving into the aspects of “S.” The SMART goal-setting strategy holds much merit in the world of business, education, communication, and many other fields. The reason it is used is because it is a relatively simple format to use in setting good goals. Notice that I said good goals not just a general goal. One of the main purposes of this strategy is to create goals that are useful and attainable. According to Stoner and Stoner, “This approach asserts that goals would meet five conditions. Goals should be: (S) specific; (M) measurable; (A) attainable; (R) relevant; and (T) timely or time-specific. Keep in mind that these conditions must be assessed from the perspective of your people...Accordingly, careful communication that explains and clarifies each of the five conditions is a must. And, perhaps most important, put all of this in writing” (Stoner, 2013, p. 63). 

Now that we know what SMART goals are as a whole, we are going to dissect SMART and discuss each part individually. So we will start today with “S” for specific.

As stated, “S” stands for specific. This term actually encompasses the entire process and should be involved in every letter of the acronym. Specificity is one of the most important aspects of SMART goal-setting, in my opinion at least. Because without specificity, one cannot understand or will not remember all of the aspects of the goal. 

For “S” one will utilize the 5 W’s, which are: who, what, where, when, and why. The who can change because it could be yourself, or it could be someone else like a colleague or a business department. The what is the overall goal you’re trying to reach like raising your sales by _% or becoming a dancer. Where is exactly what it sounds like, where will you go to make this goal a reality. When is tied into time-specific, which is exactly what I was talking about when I said the “S” will encompass all the steps. Answering the question “why” is important because it gives a purpose behind the goal. No one wants to reach a goal that has no purpose behind it, most would find that to be a complete waste of time, energy, and resources. Therefore, the why is important. 

Another way to be specific, as stated in the video “How to set SMART goals” is to use a verb at the beginning of the goal such as increasing or decreasing. This creates a sense of movement or change, which is generally the aim of most goals. When setting a goal and aiming to be specific, one needs to consider the question: What movement am I trying to see or make happen? As Olsen says, “A good goal says what dial we’re trying to move.” 

As you can see, specificity is extremely important in goal-setting! Without a specific goal, you or your people won’t know what direction you’re going or how to get there and the purpose won’t be clear either. Specificity should be involved in every aspect of SMART goal-setting which is something we’ll need to keep in mind as we move through all the letters of SMART. 

Stoner C. R., Stoner J. S. (2013). Building Leaders: Paving the Path for Emerging Leaders. New York, NY: Routledge.

VIDEOS:
How to set SMART goals
SMART goals