Set SMART goals and achieve them!

Everybody talks about what their business wants to achieve but not a lot of thought goes into setting SMART goals and accountabilities. Managing Director of Profiles International Research Institute, Priolo says that "Employees need to be very clear about their responsibilities and about the results you expect them to achieve."

He says SMART goals help employees focus on what is most important to the business, and should be:

· Specific - the employee should be able to answer, at a minimum: Who is involved? What needs to be accomplished? When is the deadline? Why is this goal important?

· Measurable - when progress is measured, employees stay on track, reach their targets and experience the sense of achievement that motivates them to keep working toward their goal.

· Aligned - individual goals need to support the organisation's priorities, otherwise the employee is not channelling his or her efforts in the most productive manner.

· Realistic - employees must be both willing and able to work toward the goal, and will more likely perceive it as realistic if they have accomplished something similar in the past.

· Timed - if there is no timeframe, "there is no sense of urgency".