SMOOTH Goals

• Target group: Higher education, Adults, Unemployed
• Focus: Connecting with the world, Build solidarity with the world
• Activity: Advising and counselling
• Form: Individual
• Duration: 30 minutes

Inspiration for the tool

Jean-Luc Pening (coach from Belgium)

Olivier Hamant (biologiste, consultant, specialist in robustness). The term ‘robustness’ as an antidote to performance is inspired by nature, that, contrary to a simplistic vision of darwinism, does not focus on optimisation, but on long-term survival – with many “sub-optimalities” that are essential in a time of crisis. The more you optimize systems, the more fragile they become. To prepare for incertain times, it is better to accept and develop inefficiencies that will help you better deal with crises (diversify opportunities, build in time buffers, maintain redundant resources/options, foster cooperation, embrace imperfection, slow down and reflect, set lower goals, choose sub-optimal and slower ways to get there…)

In career development, the principles of robustness replaces the question “How can I be more efficient/successful?” with “How can I be more robust and contribute to a sustainable world?” and can be applied as follows:

• Redundancy over specialization – developing multiple skills, diverse experiences, experimenting
• Heterogeneity over homogeneity – embracing diverse perspectives and paths
• Incoherence over perfect logic – allowing contradictions and complexity
• Randomness over control – being open to unexpected opportunities
• Slowness over speed – taking time for reflection and maturation, creating time buffers for development of alternative options
• Incompletion over perfection – accepting ongoing development
• Cooperation over competition – building networks and mutual support

Rationale: Why is this needed?

In career planning, using SMART objectives is often encouraged (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound). However, it is not always possible to plan in advance in a rapidly changing world and uncertain labour market due to the ecological crisis. Different indicators can often be counter-productive and become goals in themselves, self-serving and reductionist measures straying us away from achieving the real goals or leading to missed alternative opportunities. Also, this approach can sometimes misses the reflection concerning the wider impacts – community, social, ecological – of the goals. Aligned with the principles of robustness, sometimes it is useful to think about several alternatives, about leaving some doors open, having more flexible time limits, foreseeing time-buffers to prepare for unforeseen events or factors…. So, this tool, aims to support different approach to action planning, under the acronym SMOOTH.

Objectives

By the end of the activity, participants will be able to:

• specify their goals
• anchor their goals in a wider context of their personal ecology and of the needs of the world.

Resources needed

Sheet of paper, a table below

Activities

The career development professional explains the different aspects of a “robust goal” guides the client or the student through the series of questions.

S – Specific / Sense (Makes sense to you/is meaningful, to others, to the community, to the planet?)

• “Does this goal resonate with who you are? How does it reflect your values?”
• “How does this goal connect to your deeper sense of purpose?”
• “What personal significance does this hold beyond external success?”
• “How does this align with what you consider most important in life?”

M – Motivating (alternative: Malleable/moving/mobile…)

• “What about this objective moves you deeply?”
• “What gets you excited about this goal even when obstacles appear?”
• “What aspect of this objective would you pursue even if no one paid you?”
• “Where do you feel a sense of calling or ‘pull’ toward this direction?”

O – Open

• “What doors does this open? What new possibilities emerge?”
• “What would become possible in your life if you achieved this objective?”
• “What unexpected directions might emerge from pursuing this path?”
• “How does this objective challenge conventional approaches in your field?”
• “What new connections or relationships might this goal facilitate?”

O – Opportunities

• “What are your existing resources / redundancies / opportunities that you can use?”
• “How can you start moving toward this goal with resources you already have?”
• “What small, concrete steps could you take immediately?”
• “What unexpected resources or support might emerge as you begin?”
• “How could you experiment with this goal before fully committing?”
• “What would the first 1% of progress toward this goal look like?”

T – Timeless, temporally fluid

• “How does this goal serve you regardless of when you achieve it?”
• “What would be valuable about pursuing this objective even if the timeline changed completely?”
• “If you do not put any deadline on this goal, would it change anything for you?”
• “How might this goal evolve as you grow and change?”
• “How does this goal honour both who you are now and who you’re becoming?”
• “What would pursuing this direction teach you that would be valuable regardless of outcome?”

H – Harmonious

• “How does it respond to the needs of the community, the world, the planet?”
• “How does this bring harmony to you, others, and the world?”
• “How might this objective create more harmony between different aspects of your life?”
• “How might this goal invite collaboration and connection?”
• “What would pursuing this direction make possible for others?”
• “What would success look like if it had to benefit everyone involved?”
• “How might this goal contribute to collective wellbeing / transformation of the society?”
• “How does this goal honour your relationships and responsibilities to others?”
• “What part of the world or society benefits from this goal — and what part might be harmed?”
• “What part of the living world would thank you if you achieved this goal?”

My goal
S – Specific / Sense
M – Motivating
O – Open, original
O – Opportunistic
T – Timeless
H – Harmonious

Reflections/Consolidation of learning:

• Looking at your answers across all the SMOOTH dimensions: What patterns or themes emerge?
• Which dimension feels strongest? Which one needs more attention? Why?
• What do you notice when you step back and look at the goal from the perspective of long-term sustainability — personal, societal, and planetary?
• If your future self (20 years from now) read this goal — what might they say or add?