Cathy Liska Clients come to coaches wanting to create change and/or succeed at a goal. Coaches partner with clients and many use the S.M.A.R.T. goal model to define the goal. This also prepares the client to design an action plan and process. This tool encourages both motivation and success. 
Clients gain clarity with S.M.A.R.T. goals and they gain perspective. This tool breaks things into achievable steps that clients design.
S stands for Specific. Questions to ask:
· What exactly do you want to accomplish?
· How do you define your goal?
· How do you describe your life after you achieve your goal?
M stands for Measurable. Questions to ask:
· How will you know when you have achieved your goal?
· How will you measure your success?
· What does success look like to you?
A stands for Actionable. Questions to ask:
· What might get in the way?
· What steps will you take to achieve this goal?
· What resources do you have that make this goal attainable?
R stands for Relevant. Questions to ask:
· What is important about this goal to you?
· What will be different for you when you achieve this goal?
· How will you feel when you achieve success?
T stands for Time Bound. Questions to ask:
· When do you want to achieve your goal?
· What are the milestones on the timeline along the way?
· When will you complete each of your action steps?
A note: sometimes people use the word achievable for A or realistic for R. Both these words require knowing the future so during coach training we learn to use actionable and relevant instead.
S..M.A.R.T. goals are a positive, motivating tool to help get your client define and achieve their success.
