In this video, we’re delving deep into the art of crafting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals tailored for employee training. Whether you’re a seasoned L&D manager or a motivated employee, we’re bringing you the insights you need to make goal-setting a game-changer for your career journey.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:18 Meaning of SMART
2:08 How to Apply SMART Goals
Transcript
We all want to see the results of our hard work, and creating goals is an important part of your training initiatives. However, you have to be careful about making the right goals. That’s where the SMART framework comes in. Let’s say, for this scenario, you’re doing training for medical or healthcare. Let’s learn about the SMART framework and see how it can help you make goals for your training.
Meaning of SMART:
- S for Specific:
You need to be specific in your goals, not broad. In the healthcare example, a broad goal is that we want people to be trained on how to be safer. Instead, a better, more specific goal would be that every worker has to complete HIPAA and OSHA training annually. - M for Measurable:
You need to make sure that you have real metrics that can be measured to base your goals on. In healthcare, going back to our previous example, every worker has to complete HIPAA and OSHA training annually is somewhat measurable, but what would be better is every worker has to complete HIPAA and OSHA training annually and have passed the corresponding quiz with a passing grade of 80% or above. - A for Achievable/Attainable:
This requires a bit more research and communication with learners. It’s often the case that goals are made without listening to learners and their feedback. Going back to the medical example: every worker has to complete HIPAA and OSHA training annually and pass the quiz with a passing grade of 80% or above. You should be asking yourself when you made that goal: Is it really attainable to have them do it all once a year? Or is a score of 80% too lofty? - R for Realistic/Relevant:
Is the specific goal you’re making actually relevant to learners? With our medical example, every worker has to complete HIPAA and OSHA training annually. Is it really necessary and relevant for all workers to complete this training? Another way to keep training relevant in medical, specifically, is by utilizing VR technology, which is a safe way to get as realistic as possible. - T for Time-bound:
Making sure your timeframe is tangible and realistic is important. It’s important to set hard due dates as well as due dates that give learners a reasonable amount of time to complete the training. Going back to our medical training example: every worker has to complete HIPAA and OSHA training every year by March 3rd. This example includes the time frame element.
Incorporating all of the SMART principles into your training ensures that employees get the most realistic and comprehensive instructions possible. It also helps create a system where not only upper management benefits because realistic goals are more likely to be met, but learners have a system where it is paced for them to succeed.
So, let’s make a SMART goal for another medical example. Here is the broad goal: New hires will complete onboarding medical device training to help improve skills relevant to their role. When we use the SMART goal guidelines, we get something instead more like: By the end of a three-month training program, the medical device training technicians will be able to accurately operate and troubleshoot five key medical devices used in our healthcare setting with a 95% success rate as measured by practical exams and feedback from supervisors.
Part of making sure you can succeed at reaching your goals is making sure that you have the training resources you need. At Knowledge Anywhere, we have over 25 years of experience and the training resources to help you reach your goals. Contact us today.
