Budgets inventory the resources available to reach a goal. Goals on the other hand give a place to aim. To quote Zig Ziglar, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”

Goals dictate actions, and actions dictate outcomes. Consider how you would train if you wanted to run a marathon versus if you wanted to powerlift. The goals are different, so too are the steps to reach them.

The Anatomy Of A Goal

Before we get any further, let’s define what a goal is fundamentally. We’re going to use a framework called S.M.A.R.T, an acronym meaning Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-related.

Their is no shortage of acronyms, and frameworks to define business goals, or help with long term planning, but as the anatomy of a goal S.M.A.R.T works well. For a longer explanation of S.M.A.R.T click here, but it will be expanded upon later in the presentation.