How to Create Effective SMART Goals for Your Thought Leadership Platform

Greetings Beloved,

Back in 2015, I hit a road block in my business and ministry.

I wasn't attracting as many quality clients as I wanted, and I started to feel like I was wasting my time in this venture.

Because I didn't know what to do or how to help my situation, I started looking for traditional jobs to generate income.

In other words, I was looking to end my writing business and going back into teaching, but at the career college level.

So, I did just that.

I was hired to work as a Professional Development Instructor at a small college.

And while it provided a little income for me and my daughter, it didn't satisfy what I truly wanted internally: my own business and ministry.

Needless to say, my time at the career college was short.

And to be honest, I was grateful for that, because it pushed me to try my hand again at making my writing ministry a success.

After doing more research into understanding how to run a successful online business, I realized that I failed to create SMART goals.

In other words, I hadn't established a clear target for myself so that I could develop the faith to see this thing accomplished.

After reflecting on what made me successful years ago, I realized back then, I had a very clear vision of my life. I knew the steps necessary to reach my goals.

And that's what I needed to implement with my platform.

Setting SMART goals, especially as a new Thought Leader, is not only a wise endeavor, but it is truly necessary.

It's not enough to have a great idea or a wonderful vision.

We have to know the steps and plans that will help us reach those endeavors.

And creating SMART goals is the perfect place to begin this process.

Set SPECIFIC Goals and You Will Thrive

Perhaps you are already familiar with the SMART Goal acronym. And if you are, that's great.

But if not, let's spend some time analyzing this.

The "S" in SMART stands for "Specific" Goals.

Quite often, when new leaders are first developing their plans for their platform, they say things like:
​

• "I want to sell a bunch of books this year.
• Or "I want to be well-known in the publishing world."

They assume because they've made these statements, then these serve as their goals.

But that's not a clear goal, because those statements don't actually specify what can be accomplished in their work. Here's what I mean.

When creating a specific goal, you want to have details attached to it. Instead of saying, "I want to sell a bunch of books this year," your specific goal will be, "I want to sell 1,000 books this year."

If you want to be well-known in the social, political, or economic world, then your specific goal should be: "I will host 100 speaking engagements this year that will help me become famous in this industry."

Again, these types of goals add substance to your vision.

The more specific you are with your goals, the easier it becomes for you to create action plans that work.

Set MEASURABLE Goals and You Will Thrive

The next letter in the acronym, "M," stands for MEASURABLE goals. These types of goals build upon the specific details you already have. They provide a way to measure whether or not you are making progress. Let's use the same example as before.

If you have a desire to sell 1,000 books in your first year, think about how you can measure or track that goal over time.

​One way to do this is to divide the number of books sold that year into monthly objectives. You may decide, "I need to sell 83 books every month to reach my goal." In this way, you can track your ability to meet your intended purpose.

And if you find that the goal you have set is not measurable, then understand your goal needs to be adjusted.

Here's what I mean.

It's not uncommon for me to hear new leaders express their desires to sell millions of books through their platform. This is a great aspiration, and one I have for my own work.

But selling a million books in one year is not something I can measurably accomplish. Why? Because I am not devoting sufficient time to my work in order to sell at least 83,333 books each month. Therefore, it would be unwise for me to make something like this a goal right now, because I would fail.

And failure is not something you want to experience when you are pursuing a particular goal. So, as you work to become more productive with your vision, be sure you are creating goals and objectives that are not only specific, but more importantly measurable.

Ask yourself whether or not you can track your progress and if the progress you are making is actually leading to your goal. If not, then you don't have a SMART goal.

Set ATTAINABLE Goals and You Will Thrive

Think of this one as setting goals that you can achieve.

That's what the "A" stands for in this teaching on SMART goals.

Too often, new leaders put so much pressure on themselves to achieve goals that are not achievable. Consider the example I used above.

If I put pressure on myself to sell 1,000,000 books each year, then I would easily wear myself out, especially if I have not mastered the ability to sell 1,000 books.

Yet, this is the kind of pressure I see so many new leaders endure.

They have so many ideas of what their platform and vision ought to look like. And they try to rush things so much, that in the end, they burn out and even quit their mission.

PLEASE. DON'T. DO. THAT!

God wants you to enjoy this journey you're on.

And more importantly, He wants you to do it in a spirit of excellence. When it comes to setting goals for yourself, think about what you are capable of completing.

Maybe you're only able to publish one book a year and not ten books like the next leader. Great! Stick with what you can achieve.

Don't pressure yourself to be like other people, because you will disappoint yourself. You will frustrate the process, and nothing hurts more than when you quit on yourself.

So, as you develop new goals this year, think about what you are able to do and achieve, and stick with that.

Once you've reached that goal, you will then be empowered to increase your ability to do more in the long run.

Set REALISTIC, RELEVANT Goals and You Will Thrive

Goals that are realistic and relevant are the ones that will always be reached.

There are times when new leaders do too much with their goal setting. They say things that are simply irrelevant and unrealistic for their particular work.

They might say something like, "My goal is to have every person in the world purchase my book." That "goal" is so irrelevant and unrealistic, because not every person in the world will know who that author is. And neither will every person in the world care.

A better, more realistic and relevant goal could be, "My goal is to get my book on domestic violence into the hands of 10,000 battered women."

Now we are talking about something that is more powerful, more relevant, and certainly realistic to one's platform!

So, as you construct your set of goals for this year, make sure they are pertinent to your vision, your audience, and your mission.

Set TIMELY Goals and You Will Thrive

Now that you have a specific, measurable, attainable, realistic goal, the next question to ask is how much time will it take to reach that goal.

Whenever you set goals for your online business, virtual ministry, or political platform, it's important to put a time stamp on them.

And here's why.

Our minds work most efficiently when we tell ourselves that we must get something done within a set period.

If we simply say, "I am going to sell 1,000 books," but don't put a time clock on that, then that goal will float around for years.

Instead, it's important to say something like, "I am going to sell 1,000 books within the next 6 months."

Why? Because now your mind will go to work in acquiring the definite plans that will help make that goal a reality.

Time is crucial to your goals. It helps you determine how much effort you must put into the thing you want to accomplish.

​Time allows you to put perspective on your goals as well.

Let's say you wanted to sell 1,000,000 copies of your book or you wanted to earn your first $1,000,000 through your platform. If you give yourself 10 years to accomplish this, then all of sudden that goal doesn't seem unrealistic.

It's actually attainable, because you have given yourself the proper time you need to see it come together.

So, as you consider the many benefits of setting SMART goals for your platform, remember that the more specific you are, the easier it will be for you to reach them.

If you're ready to build and launch your leadership platform, then join my company of rising leaders inside my leadership networks where you will gain access to more empowering articles, coaching office hours, and VIP discounts on my coaching offerings. Next,  explore my online courses that walk you through the steps of launching your thought leadership platform in 60 days or less. Finally, join me each year for my annual leadership conventions where you can network with top experts in the social, political, and economic spheres. 

It is never too late to manifest your God-given vision. So, get started today.
​
Until next time, Beloved, be blessed.

And as always, let's grow together!

- Coach Felecia Killings