In business the concept of setting SMART goals are everywhere; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Bound. Yet I think these are one of the fundamental problems of an underachieving society, and a society where average is ok. Its the word ‘Achievable’ that keeps people in their box of being ordinary; when you set your goals, they need to be achievable.
For a long time, I thought it made sense and I was all for setting my SMART goals. But after a while I became frustrated with people around me who didn’t have any ambition for doing exceptional things or for wanting to step outside of the box. I have worked with many organisations who would achieve some national benchmarking scores and see that as a success. I questioned why are they not aiming for the best, for being better than average? Why are they not aiming for perfection? Why is average ok? Read more ›