Success Advice
5 Smart Goals to Make This Year Your Most Successful Ever

Setting goals at the start of the year means you will know exactly what you need to do throughout the year to be successful. By setting goals, it forces you to build a plan about how you intend to achieve those goals. By having a plan in place, you will wake up every morning with a clear idea of what it is you need to do each day. Just by writing down your goals, there is a 42% greater chance you will achieve those goals than if they just stayed in your head. It may seem like a small thing but actually creating goals every year and then writing them down significantly improves your chances of success.
What is a SMART Goal?
SMART goals were brought into the mainstream by Peter Drucker and they are now one of the most popular ways of setting goals, both by organizations and individuals. SMART is an acronym that describes a specific way of writing down goals. The SMART acronym stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
The formula means that all of your goals will be incredibly specific, which is a key component of improving your chances of achieving any goal. To illustrate this point further let’s look at an example of two similar goals to see what one is a SMART goal:
- I want to be more productive this year
- I am going to wake up at 5 am Mon-Fri to work on my project that is due in 3 months
It should be pretty clear which goal is the SMART goal, it’s the second one. It gives a clear outline of what you will do, how it will be done, and over a specific time period.
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” – Tony Robbins
Now we will look at 5 examples of SMART that you can set this year to make it your most successful ever. You can copy these goals exactly as they are, or tweak a component of the SMART acronym to something that better suits you.
1. Journal every morning at 6 am For 10 mins For 2 months
If you are into self-development, you have probably come across journaling and it’s benefits. It can be a great way to reflect and plan for the future so is a great SMART goal to set for the year. We have kept this one pretty short at 10 mins every day because if you are new to journaling, it is better to start with a shorter period of time and build from there
S – The goal is to journal
M – Every day for 10 mins at 6am
A – A challenge, but achievable
R – Relevant if wanting to reflect and plan more
T – 2 months
2. Drink 2L of water every day for a year
We all know how good water is for us, but sometimes it’s hard to drink enough each day so setting a SMART goal is a great way of trying to drink more water. As you can see, the goal is specific in how much water we will drink every day. This is important as it is something that you can easily measure with a 2l bottle.
S – The goal is to drink more water
M – Every day
A – A challenge, but achievable
R – Relevant if wanting to be healthier
T – 1 year
3. Go for a run 3 times per week for 6 months
We should always include exercise into our daily routines as it has so many benefits to our overall well being. A goal many people set similar to this ‘I want to exercise more’. This is incredibly vague and doesn’t give any clear direction on exactly what you will do.
This SMART goal is an example of one where you could substitute the run for something else such as cycling or going to the gym. The key point is to be specific in what type of exercise you will do.
S – The goal is to exercise more
M – 3 times per week
A – Achievable
R – Relevant if you want to get fitter
T – 6 months
4. Get 7-9 hours sleep every night for 4 months
Getting enough sleep is incredibly important to how we perform the next day, both physically and mentally. It’s easy to stay up watching an extra episode of Netflix, but if you want to be productive the next day you need to get enough sleep. Although everyone is different, the science says on average we should all be getting between 7-9 hours sleep every night.
S – Sleep more
M – Every day
A – Easily doable
R – Relevant if wanting to be more productive
T – 4 months
5. Review your goals every day for a month
As this post is about goals, let’s include a goal about goals. It’s easy writing down your goals to begin, taking action to achieve your goals is the hard part. One way of improving your chances of achieving your goals is to review them regularly. We have set the time period as 1 month for this SMART goal to help build the habit. Ideally, you would want to increase this time period to every day, all year.
S – The goal is to check your goals
M – Every day
A – Tough at first, gets easier
R – Relevant if wanting to achieve your goal
T – 1 month
The above list should give you some good ideas of goals to set this year. Don’t forget they can be adapted to suit you better. For example, you could change the running to cycling. The key is to follow the SMART acronym for every goal you set as it significantly improves your chances of success.
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”
While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.
Why This Gap Exists
Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.
What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.
Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap
Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.
1. Practice Mutual Empathy
Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.
2. Maintain Professional Boundaries
Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.
3. Follow the Golden Rule
Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.
5. Empower Employees to Grow
Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.
6. Communicate in All Directions
Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.
7. Overcome Insecurities
Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.
8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship
True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.
9. Eliminate Favoritism
Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.
10. Recognize Efforts Promptly
Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.
11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews
When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.
12. Provide Leadership Development
Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.
13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles
Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.
The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role
Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:
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Build diverse talent pipelines
-
Embrace flexible work models
-
Design compelling career paths
-
Simplify HR processes
-
Redefine the value HR brings
The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.
Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff
When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.
Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.
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