SMART Goal Technique and My Brother

Today when the importance of ‘SMART’ goal setting was taught to me in my management class I felt that some of us are learning what it means whereas there are some people who might not know what it is called but they definitely are aware of the concept inside out and follow it in their lives. The moment I understood what it is, the very moment I started thinking of my younger brother who had used this smart goal setting to get into India’s no 1 law college NLS Bangalore with an AIR of 19 in CLAT exam.

I remember talking to him two years back when he told me his Specific goal of getting into National Law School. He told me this with such an optimism and confidence as if he had seen the future and knew it for sure. I remember in one way or the other he answered all the 5 W questions required for a goal to be specific:

·         What: What did he want to accomplish?

·         Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

·         Who: Who was involved?

·         Where: Identified the location.

·         Which: Identified requirements and constraints

Being the older brother I had told him the difficulty I faced in accomplishing what I had set for. To this he told that he will always keep in track his performance. He would keep Measuring his improvements and record it. He had already set a benchmark for himself and was competing with himself to beat that record. He very well knew how to achieve his goal.

I remember he had pasted a poster on the wall of his room written in bold “ AIR 1”. I never understood its importance then. But now when I look at it from management perspective I realise that this small activity he did made his goal Attainable to him. Seeing it every day multiple number of times made him believe that his goal was achievable.

Then he also displayed the fourth factor of Relevancy in his pursuit. He discarded or prevented doing any activity that was not relevant to his goal. He weighed his options on the sieve which questioned :

·         Does this seem worthwhile?

• Is this the right time?
• Does this match my other efforts/needs?

Also all his actions were Time bound. He had a mental scheduling of what to be done and when. He gave a time frame to his endeavour and avoided unnecessary wastage of precious gift of time.

Thus his goal was Specific- Measurable- Attainable-Relevant-Time bound. In short it was a SMART goal setting.

And it is because of these practices that he has accomplished what he always wanted. He fulfilled his dream and is progressing towards a brilliant future. I wish him all the best and hope that he keeps employing this concept throughout his life..............

In Which Quadrant Do You lie??

Theory X and Theory Y developed by Douglas McGregor, a social psychologist, is still referred by many companies for managing and motivation of employees. He proposed that there are two approaches to management- Authoritative style (Theory X) and Participative style (Theory Y).

Manager proponents of Theory X assume that people working under them have the inherent characteristics of avoiding work and have little ambitions. They need to be pushed hard towards achieving objectives and managers resort to coercion whenever needed. Managers here do not believe in team building and lack on the humanitarian aspect when it comes to dealing with employees.

On the contrary proponents of Theory Y assume that people working under them are ambitious, self motivated and self control. They do not need constant supervision for completing any task. Managers here believe that when time comes employee will come forward and shoulder responsibility and so he gives them more freedom and individual space to work. More decentralization of decisions is a common aspect in this case.

These theory leads to 4 types of cases depending on the ambition and working interest of manager and employee. It has been shown clearly in the diagram below:

A corporate set up where both worker and manager are ambitious (Quadrant 3 in fig) will flourish the most and achieve great success. A set up where both of them are not goal oriented (Quadrant 1 in fig) will not add any value to the company and rather be a burden for it.

BUT what to do when an ambitious and enthusiastic person gets a theory X boss. How to manage his boss is an important thing to consider. In such a situation it is important you be more initiative and punctual about the deadlines of the work. Since such bosses are result oriented talk to them in terms of numbers and progress and avoid excuses. Avoid confrontation with him. Once your boss finds you self motivated and goal oriented, they will find lesser need to intervene and allow you to work in your own ways. But it is important especially in the initial stages and later too that you deliver more than you promise and show more commitment than his expectation. Once you gain his trust his modus operandi of management towards you will change. This will finally lead to you achieving more freedom and decentralised decisions.

Similarly in case where employees are lazy but boss proposes theory Y, the manager needs to ensure that his policy is actually bringing any changes in the employee and making them more responsible and then plan your future course. 

Thus analyse which quadrant you and your boss lie. Compare and weigh your options and act accordingly.........

          Job Creation: The biggest Challenge for manager

I think many of the first line managers might agree with me when I say that usually it is easier to justify the salary of a worker than their own salary. This is so because a worker is doing the entire hardcore job or in other words he is the one who is directly engaged in the production of goods and services on which the existence of the company depends. Workers also believe that the first line and middle managers are only for communicating orders and in other way they are there to ‘supervise’? The same set of people who nodded their head in agreement at my statement might also be wondering sometimes or perhaps most of the time that managers are given 8 hrs to do 5 hrs job. On the other hand the workers have no relief or very little flexibility for that matter.

But the question arises Are managers meant to supervise? Let us explore the answer together. First of all it is important to understand the organisational structure of the company. Usually it is made in such a manner so that everyone is replaceable so that if any manager shifts to some other company or leaves it due to certain reasons there is someone to get into his shoes and fill the gap and so that the company is not affected severely & it functions smoothly like nothing happened. This leads to duplication of people for the same job. Sometimes it is also because new project might crop up and demand more people to be engaged for it. How impractical it is to go and start looking for fresh recruitment and train them for the job when it is to be done on priority basis? This duplication which is unwanted yet necessary sometimes divides the same work among more people. It not just reduces efficiency but it also creates among managers a feeling that they are not contributing much or their growth is paralysed or some might also start looking down upon their work and doubt its importance.

Here comes the role of upstream managers. It is their responsibility to create job for the managers reporting to them. They need to ensure that those sharing same roles must have something additional and different yet productive task so that it doesn’t become monotonous and they find certain aspect of their job as a unique element in their routine work. If a manager creates job for its junior he will earn loyalty from him. Doing job is relatively easier than creating a productive job because once the goal is set and direction given things can be achieved with hard work but deciding about the goal and ensuring all work towards the common goal is a herculean task. This call for an innovative approach and creativity in the task of managers. Once the managers understand their true role they will feel satisfied and contented and earn respect from their juniors.

FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE: Self Realization

“Don’t be another brick in the wall but another wall itself” – This was the first lesson I learnt on the very first day of my PGDIM class at Nitie by Dr Mandi. He is the one of the few people who struggle against their destiny and carve their own path and thus become a source of inspiration to others.

 I never realized how every minute slipping off my hand is carrying an opportunity cost tagged along with it, I never realized how terrible sin it is to be dependent on others and not able to support oneself and I never realized how wrong it is if a day is passed without doing any value addition to my knowledge or personality. This moment of epiphany was attained because of Dr Mandi. Not only did he tell about these bitter facts but he also shared how we, who are lucky enough to study in one of the premiere institutes of the country, can help in spreading knowledge and experience through social media and blogging so that interested students can learn without actually joining any institutes. Such novel ideas can take shape only in the mind of genuine souls who really want to help others in whatever way they can.

The importance of Entrepreneurship was also stressed upon. I learned how important it is for an MBA student to think of every point of time as an opportunity to make fortune. The continuous process of “Socho becho, becho Seekho and Seekho Socho” needs to be employed to bring in the element of enterprising in our thought process. Various alumni of Nitie stands testimony to the greatness of the teachings of the institute.

Many other fun and interactive activities were also conducted. But my mind remained stuck to those points of self realization which is a lesson learnt by me for all times to come......