S.M.A.R.T. Goals Are D.U.M.B.

“But what if I told you that every day while he was reading those articles, clients were becoming more frustrated waiting on deliverables from him? Or that he was a bottleneck on a team project while focused on those articles? Or that his clients were transactional and had no interest in engaging with him in this way?”

In this article, Jordan Birnbaum argues that the traditional S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goal-setting framework is outdated and often counterproductive in the modern business world. Instead, he introduces the concept of D.U.M.B. goals.

The Problem with S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Birnbaum notes that the S.M.A.R.T. acronym (coined in 1981) simplified Peter Drucker’s original 1954 “Management by Objectives” (MBO) theory, but in doing so, it stripped away the most critical elements for success:

  • Missing Pieces: S.M.A.R.T. ignores whether goals are participatory, aligned with others, prioritized, or revisited regularly.
  • The Trap of Rigid Boxes: You can create a goal that is “Specific” and “Measurable” but is actually detrimental to the business because it creates bottlenecks or focuses on tasks that no longer matter.

Introducing D.U.M.B. Goals

He humorously rebrands useless goals as D.U.M.B.—standing for Dubious Utility Measuring Bullsh*t. These are goals that look good on paper but have no actual impact on organizational success.

The Solution: Moving Toward the “Age of Experimentation”

Birnbaum suggests that because the pace of change is so rapid, long-term planning is effectively dead. Success now requires:

  1. Organizational Clarity: Most “goal-setting” problems are actually failures of leadership to articulate clear objectives. 90% of organizations lack this clarity.
  2. Short-Term Experimentation: Replace long-term rigid plans with weekly or monthly experiments. Decisions should be viewed as “best guesses” that require constant re-evaluation.
  3. Psychological Agility: Organizations must make “agility cool” and remove the stigma of making mistakes. The goal is to correct course quickly rather than doubling down on a bad decision (avoiding the “Sunk Cost Fallacy”).
  4. Improving Judgment: Use behavioral science to identify biases (like confirmation bias) that prevent leaders from seeing better alternatives.

Key Takeaway

Instead of focusing on the mechanics of setting a goal (the S.M.A.R.T. checklist), leaders should focus on improving decision-making and judgment. In a world that changes weekly, the most valuable asset is the ability to experiment, learn, and pivot.

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