How to Set Goals That Get Achieved

Goal setting is one of the most essential practices in management and personal development. Having clear goals motivates people, gives them a sense of purpose, and helps them feel accomplished. Successful organizations require employees to set written objectives since goals provide a roadmap to measure progress and contribute to their success. Yet, despite how meaningful goals may be, the reality is that many people struggle to achieve them, with an average of 9% of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions actually keeping them, with almost half of those goals being abandoned by the end of January. The pattern is familiar; we start with good intentions but lose momentum or direction.

This challenge is prevalent for new managers or anyone new to goal-setting. Setting goals in a professional environment is not just about personal willpower – it requires clarity, planning, and follow-through. So, how may managers and individuals set goals that actually get achieved? In this blog, we explore why goals often fail and provide the insights for achievement.

Why Goals Often Fail

Many goals fail because of structure; common pitfalls will help avoid that result:

• Vague or broad: A goal like “I want to do better at work” is too unclear. Without a specific target, it is hard to know where to start or succeed. Goals that are not clearly defined provide no real direction.
• Lack of personal relevance: For instance, setting a goal just because it is January 1st (a tradition) without real commitment leads to weak motivation. Goals should reflect something that needs care or a necessary change.
• No plan for obstacles: Many people quit their goals at the first bump in the road since they did not plan how to cope with difficulties.
• Too big too soon: Huge goals that are not manageable may feel unattainable and discouraging. It is motivating to have challenging goals, but they need to be within reach, or at least divided into achievable milestones.
• No accountability or support: People who write down their goals and have accountability are likely to achieve them. Without someone (or something like a progress tracker) to keep accountability top of mind, it is easy to procrastinate or give up.

People often experience these pitfalls when setting goals for their teams or personal development, since it is easy to scatter efforts across too many objectives or chase trendy targets that do not matter. In our trainings and coaching here at Leonsolutions LLC, we say, “Focus on what truly matters to avoid scattering efforts.” In other words, having too many priorities results in nothing most of the time:

Progress is more important than perfection.

If a goal is not achieved, it is not a failure; what matters is progress and what was learned. That is what makes goals paramount since many people give up when things are not perfect, rather than adapting. The assumption in working with over 500 companies is that fear plays too significant a role—specifically, the fear of failure or fear of the unknown. Overcoming fear is crucial, since on the other side of it is a better version of who we become. Do not let fear stop goals; leverage it to fuel determination and growth.

Setting SMART Goals: A Framework for Success

The good news is that there is a time-tested method to avoid those common pitfalls. One popular framework for effective goal-setting is known as SMART goals. The SMART acronym stands for

• Specific.
• Measurable.
• Achievable.
• Relevant.
• Time-bound.

Defining these five criteria for a goal helps ensure that the objective is clear and realistic within a set timeframe. Using the SMART approach essentially eliminates vagueness and guesswork, sets a clear timeline, and makes it easier to track progress and milestones. Instead of a fuzzy aim, a concrete plan is created.

Initially introduced by consultant George T. Doran in 1981, the SMART framework has become a best practice in business management and is widely used across different organizations, whether it is setting personal targets or team objectives. Let us break down each element of SMART and how to apply it to goals:

• Specific: Define the goal as clearly as possible; a particular goal answers who, what, and why. Instead of saying “Improve team performance,” a better-written goal would be
  • Improve customer excitement scores (CES) by 20% by the end of 2026.
• Being specific creates a clear target to work towards, similar to pinpointing a destination on a map so all team members know where to go.
• Measurable: Quantify the goal to measure progress, attaching a number or concrete criteria answers “How will you know if you achieved it?” Examples include:
  • Increase project completion rate by 15%.
  • Reduce complaints from 50 per month to 40 per month.
• Achievable: Ensure the goal is realistic and attainable, and that does not mean set easy goals – it means consider resources and constraints to set a challenging yet doable target.
  • Ask, is the objective reasonable for the team against the available resources?
  • For instance, aiming to double sales overnight with a tiny budget is not achievable, but a 10% sales increase with a solid plan is.
  • Setting attainable goals keeps morale high; an impossible goal, by contrast, demotivates and may lead people to give up mentally.
• Relevant: Align the goal with broader objectives or values; a relevant goal matters in the bigger picture of a role or organization’s mission. Managers should ask in their head, “Why does this goal matter?” Especially with goals set for the team, since it should connect to strategic goals or the department’s priorities. Relevant goals resonate personally since they make sense in a career or personal growth, ensuring that the goal is chasing something worthwhile.
• Time-bound: Every goal needs a timeline or deadline; setting a time frame creates a sense of urgency and helps in planning. Whether it is by the end of Q2 or within the next three months, a time-bound goal answers “By when?” Preventing procrastination and allowing checkpoints to be conquerable. For example:
  • Increasing customer satisfaction by 10% in the next six months is a better goal since it has a timeline.
  • Pro tip: Work backwards to determine what needs to be done; it makes achieving goals easier.

A SMART goal provides clarity, direction, and a timeframe for achieving it, making it easier to communicate the goal with team members since it is well-defined and transparent.

In a contrast example, let us take a vague goal and make it SMART:

• Not a SMART goal: improve team productivity.
• SMART goal: Increase the team’s completed tasks by 15% per quarter by the end of 2026 by implementing a new project management tool.

With a few adjustments, we have rewritten the goal to be specific (focusing on completed tasks), measurable (15% per quarter increase), achievable (using a tool to help reach it), relevant (aimed at team productivity, which matters to the business), and time-bound (by the end of 2026, with quarterly checkpoints). Anyone reading that goal will clearly understand what success looks like.

Making Goals a Reality

Setting a SMART goal is a crucial first step, but achieving it requires consistent effort and innovative management. Here are tips to help ensure goals get achieved:

• Write down goals: This simple act has powerful effects. Psychologists have found that people who write down their goals are 33% higher to achieve them. Writing out a goal turns a wish into a tangible commitment. Keep written goals somewhere visible (a notebook, a document, or a note on the desk) as a constant reminder. This visibility keeps you focused and motivated.
• Break goals into smaller steps: Even with SMART goals, large objectives feel intimidating, so break them into smaller milestones or tasks. If the goal is to onboard 50 new clients by December, define what needs to happen each month or week (e.g., contacts per week, meetings per month). Reaching these mini-goals gives a sense of progress and momentum since it is encouraging to celebrate small wins along the way – each step achieved is proof of getting closer to the finish line.
• Anticipate obstacles and pre-plan solutions: As mentioned earlier, expecting challenges is part of goal-setting; taking a moment to brainstorm what could go wrong or slow down is healthy. If the aim is to finish a certification course, potential obstacles might be finding study time or dealing with unexpected work projects. Once identified, plan how to address them (schedule study blocks on the calendar, or have a backup plan for busy weeks). When plans B and C are ready, obstacles will not catch the goal off guard. Instead of giving up, it is a switch to an alternate approach that keeps going to gain more momentum.
• Build accountability: Do not keep the goal a secret; share it with a trusted advisor – a colleague, mentor, or friend. Knowing that someone else is aware of the goal provides that extra push to follow through. Regular check-ins with an accountability partner increase the probability of success by 30%. Many managers schedule brief updates or reviews on goals in team meetings, so there is a routine check on progress. Technology will help here as well: using a task tracker or calendar reminders to hold the goal accountable.
• Monitor, adapt, and do not chase perfection: Regularly monitor progress toward the goal, set aside time (weekly or monthly) to review what is working and what is not. If the goal is behind schedule or the original plan is not working, do not be afraid to adapt the goal or approach. Adjusting does not mean failing; it is part of the process to achieve a meaningful outcome. Also, keep this advice in mind:
  • Focus on progress, not perfection. If there is a slip-up or setback, resist the urge to abandon the goal entirely just because it is not perfect.
    • Acknowledge the progress and figure out how to overcome the setback. Remember that improvement often comes with a few bumps in the road.

Stay motivated by visualizing the outcome; it helps to imagine that moment when the goal is achieved, the sense of accomplishment, and the benefits it will bring. Many people find inspiration by picturing the team celebrating after a big project success or the personal satisfaction of completing a certification. Small celebrations or recognition will keep morale high and make the journey enjoyable.

From Setting to Achieving

Setting goals that get achieved is an art and science, which requires clarity in defining the goal (the science of SMART criteria) and commitment in pursuing it (the art of staying motivated and adaptable). Every new manager or individual may improve their goal-setting skills by avoiding common pitfalls and using the SMART framework to add structure to their vision.

Make goals specific, make them measurable, keep them realistic yet meaningful, and give them a deadline. Write them down, share them, and track them. Learn from setbacks instead of seeing them as failures. And remember the core lesson:

Progress toward a goal is progress toward a better professional version of who we want to become.

As the saying goes, "On the other side of overcoming the challenge is a better version of yourself – more skilled, confident, and successful."

The roadmap of how to set goals is given; now is the time to put this into practice. Take a goal that matters and rewrite it the SMART way. Start with a meaningful objective. Apply the steps above, and share them with a trusted advisor for accountability. Well-crafted goals, connected to a solid action plan, stop being wishes and become attainable targets.