Ready? Set. Goals! for Successful Grocers

Greater accountability, a more efficient use of time, a sense of accomplishment, an improved work environment, and a more successful operation are just some of the benefits realized when grocery retailers adopt, enforce, and embrace goals, according to Harold Lloyd, principal of Harold Lloyd Presents, a Virginia Beach, Va.-based retail consultancy.

Lloyd, who has presented at the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association’s annual Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo for the past 22 years, shared his S.M.A.R.R.T.E.S.T. goals in his presentation, “Ready? Set. Goals.”

S.M.A.R.R.T.E.S.T. goals include:

Specific

Measurable

Actionable, and specifically steps or directions that will help someone achieve the goals.

Realistic

Relevant and make sense for the brand.

Timed, when the goals will be accomplished, and here, Lloyd warns against wishy-washy terms like “maybe, and hopefully.”

Ethical, no corners cut, no shortcuts taken.

Shared, because goals are more likely to be met when others are aware of them.

Typed, or written, so that goals exist and can be referred to; it’s a way to commit to the goals.

Lloyd believes that both short- and long-term goals deserve time for thought and putting them on paper. Well-thought goals provide not only the end result, but how participant(s) will achieve them, and what other tools or resources are needed to accomplish the task. These are the goals that can be shared and celebrated upon completion. Well-planned goals are shareable another way, too, in that others can adopt them for their own success.