Ever get so wrapped up in fighting fires, or managing your job, that you lose sight of the big picture?

There’s a cure for that – and it starts with better goal-setting.

The truth is, it’s easy to get derailed from achieving your growth goals unless you’re deliberate, consistent and structured.

“SMART” Goals Can Help You Stay on Track

If you’re unfamiliar with this common business acronym, SMART goals are:

• Specific: They should describe, in detail, the result that is desired.
• Measurable:  Goals must be structured so that it’s very clear whether or not they were met.
• Achievable: Individuals and teams should have the resources, training and experience needed to attain goals.
• Realistic: Goals should be challenging, but not so much so that the chance of success is small.
• Time-based: Goals should have specific timelines so that they’re a tangible priority.

But once you’ve created those SMART goals, how can you ensure they’ll actually help your organization grow in 2016? Use these tips to move from “nice idea” to flawless execution:

Garner Support Beyond Your Executive Team

Involvement breeds commitment! To ensure your goals will be supported company-wide, involve your high performers and thought leaders in every step of execution.

Communicate to Get Everyone on the Same Page

Provide customized, plain-English documentation to each department, emphasizing goals that are most relevant to each group’s work.  The better your employees understand what you’re trying to achieve – and how their daily efforts can support your growth – the more likely they are to help you accomplish them.

Create Cascading Goals

Once you’ve rolled out high-level goals, require teams to build measurable goals that support them. This encourages employees to develop ownership responsibility not just for their own accomplishments, but for those of the entire organization.

Revisit Goals Regularly

Meet monthly with personnel who are accountable for reaching your goals.  When you get together, ask the employee who is responsible for meeting each objective to give a quick status update. If progress is on track, that’s great; but if growth is behind schedule, discuss the reasons and create a plan to get back on track.

Need Exceptional People to Fuel Your Growth?

Whether you’re launching new products or services, targeting new industries or increasing market penetration, Exact Staff can supply the right talent for your local or national staffing needs. Contact a recruiter today to discuss your requirements.