Tag: Management tools

  • Better than SMART? A different way to set objectives

    Better than SMART? A different way to set objectives

    What’s wrong with SMART? Or even SMARTER?

    There’s nothing wrong with setting objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-limited – or engaging and reviewed.

    The person with a SMART target knows what to deliver.

    But do they know why they are doing it? Do they have the will to see it through?

    Let’s hear a WOOP!

    WOOP, developed by psychologist Gabriele Oettingen, comes more from the personal growth sector than a business model – but it has great strengths that you can leverage for the workplace: for yourself, for individual team members or the team as a whole.

    Wish

    Sometimes with SMART you get too deep into the details. WOOP starts by asking you to specify a big picture wish – an end result that you want to achieve.

    “I want our team to hit our performance targets this year”

    Outcome

    This asks you to think in a bit more detail – how will you know you have reached your wish? What are the benefits you’ll experience? This covers some of the concrete results that you’ll see in SMART – but thinking about this in more depth will provide you with motivation and a greater sense of achievement when you arrive.

    “People will gain a morale boost from hitting their targets. Better performance means better job sustainability.”

    Obstacles

    This is the key stage of WOOP. If you want to survive the storm, you need to know how to navigate the waves. This isn’t about being pessimistic, it’s about being resilient – finding the issues that you will need to address in your plan.

    “Unanticipated requests from other departments can derail staff plans.”

    Plan

    In this stage, use a “If [x], then [y]” process to analyse those obstacles and find the resources and support you’ll need to overcome these challenges. Building this into your planning process means you are better prepared, less likely to suffer setbacks, and more likely to reach your end goal.

    “If unanticipated requests come in, then team members will assess the priority rigorously using the ABCDE tool, not just accept the imposed deadlines. They will negotiate the requirements, personnel and timings by offering what is feasible and in line with our broader purpose.”

    Use WOOP for motivation, resilience – and results

    So, while SMART defines exactly what you want, WOOP is designed to be more motivating, more focused on resilience – and through these two aspects, can deliver better results.

    Try the best of both worlds – combine SMART and WOOP

    You can use WOOP as a standalone technique, but I’ve also seen managers have great success using it alongside SMART. You define the exact requirements through SMART, and then use WOOP to think more deeply and create a plan that is motivating, realistic and focused on solutions and success.

  • Use this marketing mantra that’s a surprisingly powerful management tool

    Use this marketing mantra that’s a surprisingly powerful management tool

    It was one of those moments where I could see an idea click straight away.

    I was facilitating a development session for a client. I wanted to explore a point further, so I went on a short digression to introduce a model. Immediately I could see it was the right call, as the group members took it on. It wasn’t a new model for all of them, but it was a moment where they all considered using it in a new way.

    From marketing to management

    The model I introduced is deceptively simple, and it comes from the world of marketing and communication, but I’ve found it useful in all sorts of leadership and management situations, from giving feedback to developing strategies, designing training courses and planning for change.

    It’s… Think, Feel, Do.

    Or if you prefer alliteration and imagery: Head, Heart and Hands.

    By using the think, feel and do model, you are encouraged to think about the outcomes you want.

    From a change perspective, the aim is that you explore individual and group motivations, insights, desires and needs – and uncover the pain points, barriers and potential objections.

    When it comes to giving feedback, use Think, Feel, Do to plan your comments. Think about what you want them to do as a result of the feedback and then shape everything so that they understand that both logically and emotionally. For example, your tone of voice, non-verbal communication and even the room setting needs to align with the words you are saying. And you need to edit those words so your message is clear and action-focused, not open to misinterpretation or diversion.

    Think, Feel, Do is one of the most effective tools – for critical thinking, for communication, feedback and change – because it is so easy to apply. Obviously it is only the starting point, and it links into other ideas like Cialdini’s six principles of influence.

    So, in the spirit of think, feel, do, I’m hoping that:

    • You know what the Think, Feel, Do model is, how it works, and are convinced about how useful it could be.
    • You feel supported and helped, and motivated to use the model.
    • You will file this idea away, and use it the next time you are planning change, drafting communication or providing feedback.