Ric Payne's Blog

Whenever you read a piece on goal setting and planning you will inevitably be advised that your goals should conform to a variant of the SMART acronym:

Specific

Measurable

Ambitious

Realizable

Time bounded

I’m sure you can think of a bunch more words for the acronym but I also think it makes sense to add two more letters to make it SMARTER while you’re at it:

S M A R T E R

• Specific
• Measurable
• Ambitious
• Realizable
• Time bounded
• Engaging
• Related to strategy

And come to think of it, let’s make it SMARTEST:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Ambitious
• Realizable
• Time bounded
• Engaging
• Strategically aligned
• Transformative

But most importantly, don’t let it be STUPID:

S T U P I D

• Short sighted
• Time wasting
• Unattainable
• Pernicious
• Incapable of directing action
• Divisive