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00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Welcome to Your Morning Boost, your daily leadership advice to help you lead your school community.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:09 Brought to you by AWB Education and sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:14 where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 Now here's your host, Adam Bush.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 Good morning, school leaders. Welcome back to Your Morning Boost. Happy Monday.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:25 Hope everybody had a great weekend, awesome weekend, and you're recharged and
00:00:25 --> 00:00:26 ready to start your week off right.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:30 And I hope that since you're turning into this show, this is one way you've
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 found to start your week off right. So thanks for joining us again.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:37 This entire week, we are going to focus on goal writing.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:41 We're going to use the SMART goal process as our approach for this goal writing.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:45 I mean, honestly, there are many different formulas and formats and foundations,
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 all these things out there to use when you're writing SMART goals.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:52 But for our purposes, we're going to use the SMART goal format for this discussion.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:57 Each day, we're going to focus on a different letter and how this not only applies
00:00:57 --> 00:01:01 to you as a school leader writing your goals, but also how you can assist your
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 staff in writing theirs.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:08 If you're not into goal writing, you need to do so, and you want to begin to.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:12 Bill Copeland once said, the trouble with not having a goal is that you can
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 spend your entire life running up and down the field and never score.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:21 Very true, Bill. It's very true advice. So today we're going to kick off this week.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:25 We're going to, this dedicated to smart goal writing, we're going to start with the S-specific.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:31 We're not just talking about clarity, we're talking about laser-focused precision.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:41 So why is specificity so crucial? Well, as Jim Rohn famously said,
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 don't wish it were easier, wish you were better.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:50 To be better, we must be precise. When we set vague goals like improve student
00:01:50 --> 00:01:54 achievement, we're well-intentioned, but we lack direction.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 It's like trying to hit a target in the dark.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:01 Instead, we need to ask, what specifically do we want to improve?
00:02:01 --> 00:02:06 And then how exactly will we know when we've achieved that?
00:02:06 --> 00:02:12 Data reinforces this too. A study by Locke and Latham in 1990 showed that specific
00:02:12 --> 00:02:16 challenging goals lead to higher performance than vague goals or no goals.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:22 They found that clarity eliminates ambiguity and it focuses effort and resources.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:28 Think of it this way. A specific goal acts as a mental GPS. It guides us step
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 by step on how we want to get to our final result.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:37 Music.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:40 Let's talk about some actionable tips. We're going to start with yourself.
00:02:40 --> 00:02:45 Go beyond just the five W's. We're going to ask how much and by what method.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 So if you think about this for a full SMART goal, for an example,
00:02:49 --> 00:02:54 let's, instead of just saying things like improve communication, think about the what.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:58 We're going to try something like increase parent participation in monthly virtual
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 meetings. That's my what.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:04 And then the how much by 20% per se.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:08 By the end of the school year. That would be my when. And then the who is,
00:03:08 --> 00:03:12 you know, kind of targeting parents of students in certain grades,
00:03:12 --> 00:03:13 like grades six through eight.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:18 And the method, okay, we want to ask that part too. So using interactive polls
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 and QA questions, Q&A sessions maybe.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 And the why is that we want to improve home-school collaboration,
00:03:26 --> 00:03:27 home-to-school collaboration.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:32 So that goal would be I'm going to increase parent participation in monthly
00:03:32 --> 00:03:36 virtual meetings by 20% by the end of the school year.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:40 And we'll do so by targeting parents of students in grades six through eight
00:03:40 --> 00:03:45 using interactive polls and Q&A sessions to improve homeschool collaboration.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:50 Again, I've got the what, I've got the how much, I have the when,
00:03:50 --> 00:03:51 which is very important.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:57 Sometimes we forget that part. And then also get back to that who, the method, and the why.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 So we've got the five W's, but a little bit more than that.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:06 Just consider breaking down those complex goals into smaller, specific sub-goals.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:10 The one I just mentioned there, that makes sense to me. I can understand exactly
00:04:10 --> 00:04:14 what it is we're shooting for, and it makes the overall objective less daunting.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:18 Another example that would be, so like you could say, I'm going to,
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 you know, if I do something like, oh, increasing the reading level of third
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 grade students, That's going to be my goal for this year. I'm going to increase
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 the reading level of third grade students.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 Well, that's pretty vague. So let's break that down.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:34 Instead, let's put the deadline in there. By December 15th, 80% of third grade
00:04:34 --> 00:04:38 students will increase their reading level by one grade level.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:43 And I'd also put in as measured by whatever assessment is that we're using at
00:04:43 --> 00:04:47 our school, whatever data I have access to. Again, that is going to be more
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 specific. It's not going to nearly be as vague.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:54 I'll know whether or not I make that goal, and I'll also know exactly what I'm
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 looking for as far as to achieve that.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 If we're talking about our staff, it's a similar process, just as you're helping
00:05:05 --> 00:05:10 them set goals, encourage them to define their desired outcomes very clearly as well.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:16 We can ask some probing questions like, what does success look like in measurable terms?
00:05:16 --> 00:05:21 What is it that you're really truly looking for and how can you tell that you've made it there?
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 And then the other part we always want to ask about is what specific actions
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 will we take to achieve this goal.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:32 It's not simply about a goal I want to have happen. I also need to know about,
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 I also need to know how I'm going to get there.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 Provide your staff with some templates or frameworks or something like that
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 to help them craft specific goals.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:47 In our case, for a SMART goal, it could be just the SMART goal sheet that that's
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 got every letter ready to go and make sure that we hit all of those parts.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 We just want to emphasize the importance of defining those deliverables.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:57 What are those tangible outcomes that are going to demonstrate achievement?
00:05:58 --> 00:06:02 Another example, it could be instead of, I want to improve classroom management.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 That's a very common one for teaching staff.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:08 A suggestion I would have then is like, okay, let's talk about the time piece to this.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:13 So maybe by the end of the semester, I'm going to implement three new classroom
00:06:13 --> 00:06:14 management techniques.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:20 And because of that, student referrals will decrease by 10% or by 15%.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:24 Again, it's going to have some time-bound pieces to it, and it's very specific
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 on what I'm trying to accomplish.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:31 Just remember that a specific goal provides a clear roadmap.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:35 We want to minimize confusion and maximize focus. That's really what we're shooting
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 for. It allows for clear action and accountability.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:44 Music.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:48 That's our S for SMART goals for this week. Come back for more each day this
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 week as we'll keep diving into setting goals for success.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:55 Also, just a quick reminder, check out our new Booster Shot episode that's coming
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 this Wednesday. I promise for you, it will be worth your time.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:02 Otherwise, thanks for listening. And as always, we will talk with you again tomorrow.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:06 You have been listening to Your Morning Boost by AWB Education in partnership
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 with Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:13 You can find out more about our services by clicking on the links in the description.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:18 Remember, you are doing this vital job that only a few can do.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:22 So until next time, thank you for your service to your community.