However, I find that Smart has some limitations in coaching, and so I created Exact for when we are facilitating others to set goals for themselves, for example, at a staff appraisal or during one-to-one coaching.
There are two differences between Smart and Exact:
“EXciting” has been added.
Whereas a Smart goal may be positive, it does not have to be.
The goal could be “get out of the bottom division”, but where is the group’s focus? On the bottom division and failure. An Exact version of this goal might be “get into the top division”.
“Challenging” has replaced “Achievable” or “Realistic”.
This is an essential difference and is crucial to the success of the goal. When managers set goals for others, they aim too high, demotivating the team. When we set goals for ourselves, our limiting beliefs, fear or lack of vision may come into play and it is sometimes difficult to admit what we really want. In the supportive, blame-free environment of a coaching culture, people enjoy taking risks and being stretched.
Stand up and stretch every muscle in your body, then sit down again. Do you feel more relaxed now and yet energised? The mind and emotions enjoy being stretched as well. Now think of a time when you achieved something you had doubts about perhaps a meeting where you won the deal. As you walked away savouring your success, you probably felt more energised and less stressed. Was it similar to the physical stretch?
Two more criteria are worth bearing in mind for an effective Exact goal:
Of one focus: more than one pathway dilutes the goal.
Succinct: a few easy-to-remember words so the goal can work and be working for us all the time without having to go away and look it up. There is a neurological reason why Exact goals work. If one can identify a goal that the individual or the whole team can take ownership of and be motivated by, the reticular activating system (RAS) will kick in and help us to achieve it. The RAS is a part of the brain that filters out 99 per cent of sensory input, allowing us to notice only what is relevant. For example, recall when you bought a new car.
Did you suddenly see the same model everywhere? The other drivers were always there but you had never noticed them before. The RAS is a pattern matching system that ensures we notice opportunities we might otherwise have missed. Some people claim that if you identify your goal, the universe will bring it to you. I suspect that if it is true, the universe uses RAS to do so!
- A recording of an Exact goal-setting corporate coaching session is available free at www.performancecoach training.com, where you can also register for free conference line seminars in how to set them.
- Carol Wilson is managing director of Performance Coach Training, author of Best Practice in Performance Coaching (Kogan Page) and head of accreditation at the Association for Coaching.
- The CIPD runs a two-day Manager as Coach course that helps managers to adopt a coaching management style and maximise the potential of the individual in the workplace. For details visit www.cipd.co.uk/training/mgt/mac or call 020 8612 6202.
Volume 3, Issue 3