[NB: Post updated – see bottom – on Wed 18th Dec 2013 @2:04pm – causing reset of views counter.] You probably know the popular SMART acronym – a mnemonic – for setting goals and objectives (“S” for Specific, “M” for Measurable etc). I’m not referring to that. Over the past 10 years, I’ve conceived a different SMART acronym, this time in relation to people. Here is my SMART Acronym for People Who Succeed (complete with an infographic) 
[Hint: Remember now, we’re NOT talking about SMART project “objectives” here. Its people I’m referring to!]
1. “S” is for “Serious Minded”
How can you tell if a person is serious minded? A simple way is to observe what s/he has interest in doing, as opposed to what s/he is committed to doing.
Consider a business owner who tells you s/he wants more sales in his/her business. Her attitude towards learning what will be needed to make that happen will indicate how serious s/he is.
Many times people express interest in something, but are not prepared to commit the required time, effort and sometimes money, to doing it. That’s why people attend the same business marketing workshop and 6 months later, some have succeeded in growing more business, and others have not!
People who are committed to achieving their set goals never let anything interfere with doing what is necessary to make that happen. Not friends, relatives, habits, hobbies or pleasures of any sort!
People I consider SMART are serious minded about pursuing their valued personal goals.
2. “M” is for “Motivated”
Serious minded people will usually find it easy to be motivated. This is because their commitment to achieving their goal drives them.
A motivated person is one who has found a reason to go out and do something. I often talk about having a Magnificent Obsession – an expression I got from a book I read – about having a major life purpose.
People I consider to be SMART in terms of my definition are men and women who have found their purpose. They wake up KNOWING exactly what they want to do, and where they need to go.
Usually, they would have worked the day before to a point, then upon stopping thought ahead (and even dreamt about) steps they would take from the next day!
Such people “hit the ground running” each morning. SMART people are motivated in that way!
3. “A” is for “Action Oriented”
Jim Rohn wisely noted that “Motivation alone is not enough. Motivate an idiot then you have a motivated idiot”.
Understand the context in which Mr. Rohn made that statement by checking the dictionary meaning of an “idiot”. What I’d call a contemporary definition of an “idiot” is provided at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiot
So, Mr. Rohn was right. An idiot can indeed be motivated and still be unproductive.
But such persons generally occur in the minority in larger society.
So, here we’re looking at normal people who fail to take action despite being motivated. Why? I say it’s because they let their motivation wear off. And how do they do that? It’s by failing to find an anchor for it in their daily lives.
For instance, lots of successful people reveal that they build a vision of their dream on paper and hang where they’ll see it everyday. Then they create a tasks list which they check off at the end of each day, to help them get the feeling of moving closer to achieving their dream.
Anyone who claims to be motivated, and can still find a reason not to follow the above example is definitely NOT action oriented!
4. “R” is for “Results Focused”
Now, someone can be serious minded, and not be motivated to get results that matter.
Don’t believe me? I’ll give you a good example.
I see them everyday. People who are always busy (doing little or nothing worthwhile that is!). You will struggle to get them to give you a few minutes of their time. Always in a hurry they are. Rushing off to meetings, to keep appointments etc. But at the end of each day, or the week, few of the truly important things ever get done!
I used to work with such people. You could agree at this week’s brewery meeting to have Work Instruction drafts written for use in training a new set of operatives coming in. They’d always assure you it’d be done. All week you would chase them via phone, and even visit their offices.
Yet, at the end of the day, nothing…or very little happens. And you may have to do it all yourself, to meet the deadline!
People I call SMART are not like that. They produce results. When they tell you I’ll send you the finished paper in 24 hours, better be ready, because that finished paper WILL arrive by then, if not before!
5. “T” is for “Tenacious”
I use tenacity interchangeably with persistence. And I love the following quote, which, to me, perfectly captures the full meaning:
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence; Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals with talent. Genius will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent” – Ray Kroc (Founder of McDonalds)
Believe me, dear reader. Even with all the moral and financial support in the world, people still fail due to lack of tenacity.
A guy who has money bags backing him, and family root for him to run swim a world record breaking distance can choose to quit before getting to the finish line. And it will often not be that s/he could not finish. Instead, in his/her head the desire to keep going, to refuse to fail, would have died.
When I quit paid employment with Guinness Nigeria, Andy R. Jones, the expatriate brewery head of Guinness Benin in Edo state (apart from what he wrote in Xmas cards sent to me) said – repeatedly – during a departmental send-forth part organised in my honour: “Tayo simply refuses to fail”. And he told stories from the times I worked in the brewery reporting to him.
Basically, I never sat back and let things go wrong. Until the very last second I would come up with new ideas and action steps that could be used co-opt others and try to save things or get more done. Many times I succeeded.
I did not know Andy Jones was taking note of my actions!
So you see, people I call SMART, never give up.
They are tenacious with a vengeance.
They don’t know when they are beaten.
Nor do they accept to back down.
In fact, I would say they have what Burt Dubin calls bulldog blood.
And guess what? You get the transfusion(of bulldog blood that is) simply by reading the words and believing, then taking ACTION, until you get what you want!
Final Words
These above described 5 key qualities must be consistently demonstrated by an individual, if s/he is to qualify to be called SMART by me.
Err…but who exactly am I, to go around changing definitions up on people, and dictating whether or not they can be called SMART?
Indeed, why should anyone take this my new application of a well known acronym seriously?
My answer: I have no idea!
Except of course you consider the fact that I happen to consistently achieve exceptional performance levels in virtually every area of endeavour I venture. And I have done so, consistently, for more than the last 2 decades of my life!
I achieved that level of reckoning by being SMART in paid employment – as described above. That was about 12 years ago.
Today, I’ve already recorded similar superlative levels of performance, as an entrepreneur. And it’s attracting the same kinds of feedback and commentary that I got while earning a salary.
Once again, the common element that runs through it all is my diligent commitment to being SMART in line with my definition.
To top it off, those who have been coached by me get infected with this virus of mine too
As a result, they subsequently go on to record success levels that surprise those who know them and even themselves. I have many testimonials, hand written to me, from teenagers, to young people in their early twenties, who just had to let me know!
They became SMART, as per my above definition, and their lives were changed for the better.
You can achieve similar results for yourself, if you feel you need such. Simply read and re-read the 5 different description of the SMART acronym’s components.
And then put what you learn to use.
It’s simple to understand, but may not be easy to do.
Yet if you see it through, you’ll never look back again. And those who know you will regard you with amazement!
UPDATE (Wednesday 18th December 2013 @2:04pm Cotonou): My SMART Acronym Does Not Aim to (& Cannot) Replace or Contradict The Original SMART Acronym!
I touched on the above fact at the start of THIS article, when I first published it yesterday p.m. But experience has taught me it pays to CLARIFY properly. Some people are experts at jumping to VERY wrong conclusions!
My “SMART” acronym is not meant to invalidate the standard, original acronym we all know and use in setting goals and objectives. That original SMART acronym is powerfully useful, and I LOVE using it.
What I have done is to conceive of one to be applied to PEOPLE. That’s all. Just a little change in perspective, based on something people already use.
So, just like you would check for each of the 5 components (S, M, A, R, and T) in a goal or objective, I would check for each of the 5 qualities I’ve described for my SMART acronym in people.
Guess what?
9.9 times out of 10 I have found that people who have those qualities tend to succeed more often. And that is what this is all about. A “gauge” of sorts that anyone can apply to check him/herself for “success readiness”!
But I’ve presented my idea DELIBERATELY in this manner, seemingly contradicting what people know, just to raise eyebrows – and in the process get their attention…hee hee hee :-))
Hopefully, I’ve gotten some people thinking and talking.
If any person(s) have been “upset” by this article (which would be surprising, since the “SMART” acronym is not anyone’s relative or private property!), I’d suggest taking a chilled bottle of Coke, and letting off steam please. It’s Xmas season! Thank YOU :-))
=======WHAT PEOPLE WROTE=========
“(Tayo Solagbade) is amazing and I think he is going to produce some impressive results online…” – click here to read full comment by Patrick Meninga (US based 6 figure income blogger who gained fame for building a $2,000 per month adsense website and selling it for $200,000).
—————————–
“Tayo, I honestly believe you are one of those who will succeed at anything he does. Your commitment and effort has been outstanding….Thanks for all your hard work since I’ve been here – you will be sorely missed. I don’t need to wish you good luck, you have the ability to make your own luck. – Andy”(R. Jones)*
*Operations Manager, Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery, December 2001 (Handwritten comments in farewell/xmas cards sent to Tayo Solagbade following his resignation to start his own business).
———————–
“From:”Obadiaru, Osawemwenze” <email address deleted >
To:”Tayo Solagbade” <email address deleted >
Subject: Greetings from Benin!!!!
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 14:27:30 +0100
Uncle (Tayo),
Greetings to you from your boy. How are you doing?…All
is well here in Benin and everybody is really been bugged again by this ISO audit thing.
All the same you have set a standard, that nobody will dare to go below. I really miss
you sir, your words of encouragement, your pressures, your drive, your humor and
every thing about you. But in consolation, I try so hard to follow your footsteps, which
I have been doing little by little, and I am sometimes amazed at the things I do.
…I look
up to you, and really desire to someday dedicate a major success in my life to you, for
the little while I spent with you has been a turning point in my life. I will always be
grateful to you.
Keep the flag flying sir. Regards
Osas
———————–
“To Mr. Tayo Solagbade.
I appreciate all your effort. It is through you I knew the difference between Schooling and Education and its also through you that I knew that mathematics as a subject can be answered in many ways. I am very grateful.” – Ifeanyi Okeke, SS3 Student, Volunteer Corps (VC) Tutoring Project: Handwritten Comment in memoirs section of VC Year Book published in 2003.
—————————-
“To Mr Tayo Solagbade…you made me understand what the world speaks.” – Adepoju Samson, SS3 Student, Volunteer Corps (VC) Tutoring Project: Handwritten Comment in memoirs section of VC Year Book published in 2003.
—————————–
“Mr Tayo Solagbade…he has educated me so that he had touched that thing in me that motivates me.” – , SS3 Student, Volunteer Corps (VC) Tutoring Project: Handwritten Comment in memoirs section of VC Year Book published in 2003.
“The speaker, Mr Solagbade, is an authority in his field. (He is) an achiever who is able to carry his audience along with him in his message/speech” – Baker A.T, Confidential Secretary, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.
————–
“There’s a lot more to learn (experience wise) from the speaker(Tayo Solagbade)…Honestly, he gave so much within a short time. I learnt a lot without writing much. It’s amazing!” – Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.
————–
“Your (talk) encourages people not to depend on sycophancy to achieve their aims. People are also encouraged to leave the level of mediocrity. One needs to look inwards and make use of one’s potentials to reach the greatest heights. I hope this
is not the last session we will be having with you” – Ezemba C.I (Miss), Teacher, Corona Schools
————–
“The (talk) is very (useful for) those who want to up-grade themselves. The older generation who think they have come to the end of their career would find it very very useful to rejuvenate their attitude, interest and empower themselves to greater goals.” – E.C. Sarsal, Corona Schools
————–
“The Ten Ways for Self-Development would go a long way (in) improving teaching/learning situation(s).” – Cynthia Nwosu (Mrs.), Corona Schools
————–
“It was an interesting (talk), and the speaker spoke well, with a lot of experiences that (were) so educative.” – Emmanuel (Mrs.), Corona Primary School Victoria Island
————–
“Mr Tayo Solagbade is a very good motivator. I really appreciated him but the time was short.” – S.E. Atkins, Corona Schools
————–
“(The talk was) ‘very useful’ (and the speaker was) ‘excellent’…Good insight for the much needed Human Revolution to drive creativity in this nation.” – Oma Williams, Director, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.
————–
“A very worthwhile exercise. The package can however be improved by making it organisation specific.” – C. I. Okeke, AD/Research Consulting, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.
————–
“The speaker, to me, is quite an inspiration to the young generation” – Nwaokokoh Eddy Azuka, Confidential Secretary, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.
————–
“This is a celebration of Change Management, quite an appropriate and timely presentation at CMD to Stimulate Change.” – Binuyo, Francis A. (Mr.), MDO I, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village, Shangisha, Lagos.
————–
“Well this is my first seminar and I think I have gained a lot…I am on NAPEP attachment to the centre for a while, but generally speaking I think you are good and can go even above the sky. I wish I could get in touch with you for more lectures (on) Self-Development, as regards Career Development or probably Personal Development.” – Sanwo Pamela A., Unemployed Graduate, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.
————–
“The presentation content and style was nice.” – Adjekophori Peter, Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.
————–
“The training course and approach used was a good and kind of unique one, – talking about the mind map.” – Odunlami Olaitan. O. Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.
————–
“The practical real life experiences (made) the seminar more realistic…The seminar fuels my heart to develop myself the more.” – Kemi, Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.
————–
“The training was a new dimension to the act of personal effectiveness, was less of theory but of tested and proven principles. Keep it up!“- Oluwakemi, Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.
————–
“This is an academy that will go a long way in helping to develop the youths of this country. Keep up the good work.” – Alake Oluwayemisi, Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.
————–
“(Tayo Solagbade) is a very good speaker who was able to communicate his (ideas) effectively without boring me and wasting no time. Within the short time he spent, he gave loaded and relevant information/(ideas) which were superb.” – Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.
————–
“The presenter was superb. He dealt with the topic extensively, citing real life experiences that (were) personal to him.” – Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.
————–
“The facilitator (Tayo Solagbade) has done so well, and he has made me to feel that the sky is not my limit but the start, if I can apply all the personal effectiveness principles appropriately.” – Onifade Olajide, – Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.
————–
“I was very impressed with the speaker (Tayo Solagbade), his integrity, method of delivery and what he had to say. This should not stop here. I personally need access to those books and if pointed in that direction will be happy. Also, I will be happy if (I can be shown) ways to apply oneself to the concept of Self Development as regards my job as a teacher, that will help me to be a better time manager.” – Teacher, Corona Primary School, Ikoyi, Lagos.
————–
“I am really impressed and I think I have to wake up.” – Teacher, Corona School Branch
————–
“It has been a very useful session which can make people or employees wake up from lethargy. It is a wake-up call for continual hope and rejuvenation for speed to higher ground to life aspiration.” – Teacher, Corona School Branch
————–
“I observed that you are a real model of a saying that when a child washes his/her hands well he/she will eat on the same table with a king.” – School Nurse, Corona School Branch
————–
“I have observed that you are sacrificing your time to help mankind explore new grounds and live a happier life. More grease to your elbows.” – Eke N. (Mrs), Corona School Branch
————–
“This talk/seminar is very good and realistic. Someone who wants to be an achiever should adopt and practice these ten ways.” – M. O. Ihonor – Head Teacher, Corona School Branch
————–
“…The Ten Ways on Self-Development inspire me to the marrow, and henceforth are going to be (the) guiding ideologies, principles and work concepts in my life.” – Oduye Olumuyiwa, Corona School
————–
“(The talk) is an eye opener and very important tool that can be used to become great. I think I buy your ideas too. Thanks a lot.” – Mrs. Atere F.O. – Secretary, Corona School
————–
“The general comment I will like to make is that I can call this seminar a vision seminar. So my comment is that you can make this vision a wider vision by having a complete textbook on it.” – Assistant Teacher, Corona School