Reasonable goal needs to be Specific, describe details. Measurable, measure the goal using either quantitative or qualitative assessments. Achievable, can achieve the goal. Realistic, have the resources. Time limited, achieve goal in a specified tiem frame.
An Unreasonable goal is when you are missing one of the five caracteristics above mentioned.
Maribel,
Great summary of the SMART goals. Unfortunately in my work with development & career planning I have seen many unreasonable goals. Great job.
Ryan
A reasonable goal is a goal that all agree can be accomplished with the time, resources, and effort that must be devoted to it. All must see, as in the SMART model, those attributes. Specific, so there is no doubt as to what action needs to be taken. Measureable, to mark the steps of accomplishment and success along the way, or to determine what if any corrections need to be made. Achievable, so no one feels a sense of defeat before they begin. Realistic, adds to the sense of being able to accomplish, and Time-limited so no one experiences time-induced momentum loss by not having a sense of accomplishment before the goal is achieved.
An unreasonable goal would not bear the characteristics of the SMART model. It may be vague, not organized, not be or not seem realistic to those tasked with the goal. Little or no buy-in and may not be seen as as being of value. It could cause a sense of defeat from the very beginning.
A reasonable goal is a goal that all agree can be accomplished with the time, resources, and effort that must be devoted to it. All must see, as in the SMART model, those attributes. Specific, so there is no doubt as to what action needs to be taken. Measureable, to mark the steps of accomplishment and success along the way, or to determine what if any corrections need to be made. Achievable, so no one feels a sense of defeat before they begin. Realistic, adds to the sense of being able to accomplish, and Time-limited so no one experiences time-induced momentum loss by not having a sense of accomplishment before the goal is achieved.
An unreasonable goal would not bear the characteristics of the SMART model. It may be vague, not organized, not be or not seem realistic to those tasked with the goal. Little or no buy-in and may not be seen as as being of value. It could cause a sense of defeat from the very beginning.
You nailed it Geoffrey. I think it's important for those in leadership to make sure they are distinguishing between goals, vision statements, strategies & tactics. I have found in my work that these are often confused & all mixed together. A vision statement can be somewhat vague & long-term, but a goal must meet those SMART qualifications. Tactics are how you get there. Great post.
Ryan
A reasonable goal is a goal that can be obtained whereas an unreasonable goal is a goal that has road blocks that permit a team from achieving that goal. Reasonable probably means different things for different people. Basically a reasonable goal shouldn't throw a team into instant panic whereas an unreasonable goal would certainly cause some serious problems.
Absolutley & I believe that the function of the team or group leader is to help eliminate as many roadblocks as possible to help nearly all goals be reasonable.
Ryan
A goal should be realistic and even thought might be hard to achieve it can be done with team work and persistance.
Great point. I think we shy away from challenging goals too often rather than looking to things like team work & persistence to achieve them.
Ryan
A gold must be reasonable and reachable in order for a person to accomplish the goal. If you are beginning a new business, you cannot set the goal of opening another such business within the same year. This type of target is unrealistic.
One strategy for setting reasonable goals is to aim for the best you can do and then keep track of what you were able to accomplish. You can then work to improve from this starting point.
unreasonable goals: why do you want to set goals that are impossible?
Reasonable goals are realistic and reflect the specific values and missions that your company has set out. Unreasonable goals are ones that require too many resources and time to achieve or ones that are not parallel to your company's mission.
Good point Susana, goals that are this far out of reach are only setting you up for disapointment.
Ryan
Madeline,
I think your idea is good. When you are first starting out, it is always a good idea to benchmark in some way.
Ryan
Great point Shelly. I would also add that a good goal helps the employee see how what they are doing helps the organization fulfill it's mission/vision.
Ryan
I agree totally! I think one of the number one mistakes is not including all who are involved in the goal. Everyone should have a clear accurate vision of the goal and how it should be obtained.
A resonable goal keeps you moving foward..by reaching your goal you then are motivated to set another resonable goal and you progress foward in life toward your long term goals
Great point. We really need these "smaller" goals along the way to keep us moving forward on the long-term. My brother recently ran his first marathon & he pointed out that when you are first getting into running (or back into it) you may have a marathon as a long-term goal. However, in the short term your goal may be to run a 5K or maybe just to the end of the block. But as we succeed in these goals, we will find ourselves moving steadily closer to the long-term.
Ryan
It is important to begin with short goals (little walking steps)in order to achieve the long goal (running)to achieve standard and future progress both in life and in business.
Great point & it's also important to celebrate the achievement of the smaller goals along the way too.
