How to take failure in your stride

At CMI, we define an ‘achievable’ goal as one with objectives that are challenging but not impossible (there’s a reason why ‘realistic’ is often used as the ‘R’ in SMART!). Failure – or, rather, the potential for it – should come into the conversation at the very first stage of goal-setting.

When developing goals with your manager, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the expectations laid out – but don’t be afraid to voice that. You can do this in a constructive way that shows them you are enthusiastic about their ambitions for you but that helps the goal feel more accomplishable and ‘failure’ less likely.