As we start 2023…
• Have you thought about the impact you want your company to have in the next three years?
• Have you clearly articulated the monthly and quarterly benchmarks to your team?
• Do you have a way to hold your team accountable?
• Do you know what you want to achieve by the end of today?
If you answered no to one or more of these questions, you’re not alone. Studies suggest that over 80 percent of people never set goals. Further, most professionals also don’t have a system in place to achieve their goals.
With over 30 years training business professionals, I’ve come to one certain conclusion about goal setting. Goal achievement is an art and a system.
Overcoming Excuses to Goal Setting
Over the years, I’ve heard the excuse from business professionals who said they don’t set goals because of who they become in the process of achieving the goal. They have a history of being intense or forcing an outcome.
In goal setting, you get to choose who you will be in the process of achieving that goal. Rather than be intense, who would you choose to be to achieve your goal? Generous? Calm? Unattached? Intentional?
Notice that none of these ways of being is intense or forceful. Rather, they are preferred ways of being while working toward the goal.
Goal setting should be designed to tap into your greater level of leadership. When you play a bigger game, you also want to expand your leadership capacity.
Be Crystal Clear
Setting goals is also about being crystal clear in your end game. Without a clear view, you’ll be forever changing course.
One of our clients did not have goals for the company, did not have goals for his team, and simply met with his team each day to distribute assignments. He then wondered why he wasn’t achieving the financial goals of the company and why he had a trail of leads that went cold because nobody followed up.
As a leader, if you’re not crystal clear about your goals, do not align each position with the goals of the organization, and don’t review them consistently, you will also fall short of keeping others engaged in playing full out. Your team should know the goals of the company and, most importantly, how their position directly relates to the goals of the company.
Create An Existence System
Setting goals is not complete without an existence system to move the goals from concept to reality. It’s not only important to write down your goals, but have a way to take consistent action, track the benchmarks, establish accountabilities, and continuously communicate the progress and celebrate wins.
So you can see, goal setting is art and a system for achievement. What action will you take today to crystalize your goals this year? Who will you choose to be as a leader to accomplish your goals?
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