Why SMART Goals Are Incredibly Toxic, And You Should Never Use Them
There’s a better way to success than focusing on avoiding failure
If you want a surefire way to fail, set a SMART goal.
You know the drill. It’s an acronym telling you how to achieve “success.”
Specific.
Measurable.
Achievable.
Relevant.
Time-bound.
Sounds smart enough, right? No. Stop. Do NOT put your fate into this toxic pit of failed dreams.
They’re not flexible to our rapidly-changing environment.
Being specific about a goal seems intuitive. But what happens when circumstances change? You know, like a worldwide pandemic.
Think about the pivots in 2020—to-go meal kits from dine-in restaurants. Clothing companies make masks, and distilleries make hand sanitizer—virtual yoga classes.
If you are rigid and steadfast in the direction you started, you could easily be left behind.
Setting them is completely arbitrary.
How do you even begin crafting a long-term goal? First, you benchmark based on your own experience, others’ past performance, or external (often capitalistic) needs.
Bring in X revenue to keep your job. Write Y words to finish your novel. Lose Z pounds to fit into your favorite jeans.
Aim too low and get complacent. Aim too high and get panicky, frustrated, and discouraged.
The focus is the outcome, not the process.
SMART goals are a what, not a how.
The endpoint only takes you so far. After that, you need the steps in between. The tasks you’ll do, the actions you’ll take.
Those tasks require tremendous motivation.
When the focus is on the outcome, the meaning behind the goal is lost.
You have to wake up every day and somehow come up with the willpower to do the thing. The problem with the tasks is they’re rote. They’re not fun. They require daily motivation. You have to keep showing up.
To show up consistently, you need to know your why. And there’s just no why in SMART.
It’s an all-or-nothing mission.
This is the most destructive part of the whole algorithm — where it goes from unhelpful to damaging. The definition of success in the SMART system is hitting ONE number.
Didn’t quite make the target? You failed.
Of course, the systems defining success benefit from this rule. For example, I’ve seen colleagues not get their bonus because they were less than half a percentage point shy of their goal.
But it’s harmful to our personal goals, too. You technically did not finish the marathon if you collapsed at the 26-mile mark. But does missing the last 0.2 stretch change the fact you just completed an athletic feat worth celebrating?
Can we — now of all times — recognize progress rather than “perfection”?
There is no accountability.
You don’t just need support in setting your goal. You need to check-in, get advice, evaluate, course-correct.
When you set a SMART goal, especially at work, it gets shoved in a drawer until the next performance review. Whereby you take it out, do your calculations, and decide whether or not you are worthy.
Managers need to provide intermediate feedback. What’s going well? What’s not working? What could be changed — about the process or the goal — to learn and grow?
It’s irresponsible to assign a goal and then abandon the goal-setter. But it happens all the time.
The goal becomes a source of stress, shame, and burnout.
Fear is a terrible motivator, and it’s the power behind a SMART goal.
There is a punitive culture around them. It compares you to others.
The looming deadline silently judges you. Are you there yet? Are you there yet?
I recently was part of a goal-setting challenge where most people didn’t fully meet their goals or ditched them along the way. The mood was somber. There were apologies, embarrassment. Self-flagellation. While we all had an accomplishment to celebrate, those not reaching SMART status were despondent.
You can bet fewer people are even going to participate next round.
You can’t dream big.
SMART limits your goals to what’s “achievable.”
I object! We should design unattainable goals. First of all, who says you can’t reach them? Second, why limit ourselves by what has already been done?
These are goals, not mandates. So give yourself the freedom to push the boundaries and think outside the box. And the grace to fall short.
…
Success is not SMART.
So what do you do if you want to achieve success?
Redefine what “success” looks like.
Success is forward motion. Success is trying. Success breaks the rules.
Zappos famously values customer happiness over everything, including their bottom line. And it (by no coincidence) has helped them become incredibly profitable.
Remember, your version of success doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. And that’s perfect.
Solidify your why.
Know the purpose behind your journey.
What drives you to do the thing? Time. Freedom. Fulfillment. Joy. Giving back.
Never forget why your fire burns.
Embody the identity.
It’s so easy to get stuck on the “can’t.” Who am I to do this hard thing? You’re you, and you can.
Think about the person who could do the hard thing. Describe her in great detail. And become her.
It might sound a little woo-woo, but it’s based on psychological research (see Todd Herman’s The Alter Ego Effect).
Liberate yourself from the confines and limiting beliefs of the SMART goals. Instead, attempt to do the impossible. And celebrate how far you get.
