I love throw away comments. They often highlight an important truth with a pithy little statement that needs nuance and unpacking, but has a kernel of truth that must be embraced.
Here is one I heard recently. The speaker was lamenting our overly cautious approach to change and innovative projects. And then he said it… just straight out and simply; “I’m not a big fan of SMART goals. Personally I long for BAD goals.” It was an audience that knew what he was talking about and the sentiment was a little mixed – some appreciative, some more cautious.
For those feeling a little at sea, in the world of planning and goal setting it has been common to evaluate goals by their SMARTness. Are they Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound. Tighter planners include a few other dimensions, like who is responsible to get them enacted, what budget and staffing do they have to assist them and so on. In the realm of SMART, goals get achieved if you structure them tightly and there is absolute clarity around what it is that should be done, who will do it, by when, with what, reporting to whom etc. etc. It’s a solid method, and you haven’t engaged in a serious planning exercise if you don’t check your goal setting against the SMART criteria.
And yet… And yet in an era of SMART we seem to be forgetting the importance of BAD goals. BAD goals are Big, Audacious and Daring. They aren’t timid, or 100% sure this will happen goals. Set a BAD goal and there is a fair chance you will fail. But oh my goodness, when BAD goals come off, they make a real difference. They take courage, boldness, conviction and vision. They flow from a deep belief that something better could be done – no, not just could be done, must be done. BAD goals flow from a sense of urgency, and dare I say it, a sense of calling. I (or even better, we) are meant to be doing this. We sense a call from beyond just ourselves to make a difference. I/we believe this really matters and we are willing to be big, audacious and daring.
Jesus set some really BAD goals.
Think of his vision for his disciples: “And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Don’t forget he said this to his disciples who had just asked their last question prior to his ascension “Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” In other words, their final question to Jesus was essentially parochial. Put differently, “are you now going to defeat the Romans and restore Israel to the military and political power it enjoyed during the time of King David”. Jesus points them to a far more expansive domain, one way beyond the political fortunes of Israel, extending to the ends of the earth. And he does it immediately before he leaves them. That was a BAD goal. Big, Audacious, Daring (seriously daring – pretty much everyone who heard him say it was to give their life to help it come about). No it wasn’t SMART – certainly it wasn’t time bound (and yes the instruction still applies) nor was it vaguely achievable (except, go figure, it sort of has been) and I really don’t know how we can measure it and, well you get the picture.
I can already hear some of my more critical readers saying (and I do love my more critical readers – I deeply appreciate that they engage enough to think and argue back) this is a false comparison. Start with BAD goals – that’s the vision stage, then break them down into a series of SMART goals. That’s the “how do you eat an elephant” principle. The answer – “one bite at a time”. Or, how do you achieve a BAD goals – one SMART goal at a time.
And that is true. Though there is one dimension present in the Jesus example I gave that I hope you don’t miss. It’s actually Jesus’ opening gambit “And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” Zec 4:6 expresses a supporting sentiment, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.” I think we can sometimes manage SMART goals on our own (though in Him we live and move and have our being [Acts 17:28]- so outside of God there is ultimately nothing, and we should not forget it). BAD goals are a different matter. When you set a BAD goal you know (or should be reminded) that “unless the Lord builds the house the builders labour in vain” (Ps127:1). But if the Lord calls you to build the house… be BAD. Please be BAD. We need bold, audacious and daring people – people with courage and resilience and quiet confidence in the goodness and power of God. And even as you are BAD, please also be SMART, because BAD goals matter enough to be supported by SMART planning and praying and perseverance.
Nice chatting…
Photo by Jakub Zerdzicki: https://www.pexels.com/photo/digital-planning-on-tablet-with-stylus-pen-33342584/
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