Everyone needs a coach. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast, or a bridge player.
Bill Gates
Are you nearing the end of another year in business and looking over your goals? You know the ones that when the year started 12 months ago you were so ready to knock out of the park? Only to discover that “life” got in the way and you got caught up in the everyday whirlwind of just keeping your head above water?
I know, I know, when I looked over my list in the past I had the same disheartening realization that I failed to plan for the success my goals would have brought me. It was demoralizing to see that I was not much further ahead than I was last year. I am here to share with you ways that you can crush your goal setting in the new year.
This year I had some really lofty goals. Personally and professionally. I am not going to lie and tell you I nailed each one of them. I missed a few, but I also nailed a few that I never thought possible. The thing about business life in a pandemic is that you have to be ready to keep shifting your attention and your goals. That makes it challenging to feel like anything is getting accomplished.
Goal setting in a normal business setting is challenging and we are always told about setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals and reviewing those goals EVERY DAY.
STOP giving yourself bad advice! SMART goals and reviewing how you are not reaching them every day is not motivating you, it is demoralizing you and sending your self-talk into a negative spiral.
Let’s dive into real goal setting – the kind that is actionable and healthy and even better – ATTAINABLE!
We need a SMART goal, but that is not where the work ends. Set your goal, be specific, decide how you will measure it? How will you get there? Why do you need this goal? Set a date to complete it. The part where most of us fail is in the plan – how will you get there.
We need to take our goal and the timeline and break it into daily steps – not monthly, not weekly – DAILY. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You have to be able to look in your calendar and know what the one thing is that day you need to do to get to the goal.
- If your goal is to lose 20 pounds in the next 5 months, the daily goal isn’t 5 pounds, it is likely to be to record your food, eat the meal plan you made for that day etc. Compound daily choices will get you to 1 pound a week and then it will add up to 20 pounds.
- If your goal is to write a book, it is not to have 18,000 words done at the end of the month, but rather it is to write 600 words today. That is all. Then if you do that every day you will have 18,000 words at the end of the month.
But how do we get our goals down to a manageable size so that we are not overwhelmed every day? You have to take the time to plan. Here are some steps outlined for you to create SMART goals AND an action plan to go with them.
SPECIFIC:
When creating a goal be very clear in the language used to describe it. The more detail included the better. Think about the who, what, where, when, why as the details are clarified. What will be accomplished? What steps are needed to make it happen?
MEASURABLE:
How will the achievement of the goal be measured? Is it a distance, a dollar value, a number, a metric, customer satisfaction, test result, audit result, reporting or some other way to know the goal has been reached?
ATTAINABLE:
What new skill sets might be needed to accomplish the goal and the associated time for the skill to be learned? What tools, learning or strategies will be needed to experience success? Ensure that the strategies and tools are inspiring and motivating, but mostly that time is allotted for the new skills or tools to be acquired.
RELEVANT:
Does the goal make sense in the overall plan for success or development? Does it support the mission and vision of the individual or the business? Does the larger picture support this type of goal? Is it important to the matter at hand?
TIMELY:
Does the goal have realistic deadlines for achievement? What is possible to achieve in the time allotted. A goal should be lofty, but not impossible. Are there miniature milestones laid out along the way to encourage the time-bound commitment will be delivered?
BUILD OUT THE BABY STEPS:
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! Now that the goal has been set, layout the pathway to success. What are the mini-milestones along the way that will keep the goal on track? Map out what must happen daily so that the goal is bite-sized and attainable.
This is where most goals remain wishes. Without an actionable plan, goals look a lot like a wish. Finish the 4th quarter strong by mapping out exactly how you will get from today to the end of the quarter. Then repeat this strategy for your goals in the new year. Stop wishing for the better thing to happen and start actioning it each and every day with small intentional SMART steps.
Just for a moment picture what it would be like to really achieve a goal you set out for yourself. Think of the feeling of success, the positive self-talk, the compound effect of small wins rolling into a big accomplishment.
Here is some tough love. No one does it alone.
“Life is messy and we all have a story. You need to be able to give grace not just to others but to yourself. You need grit to make your dreams happen, no one does it alone.”
The truth is even the best in the world have coaches that help them get better.
Right after the late Kobe Bryant won his 5th Championship Ring he made sure his coach would still be joining him in the gym the next day.
We all need someone to help us reach our potential.
I am curious – Are you ready to hire a coach that will hold you accountable?
Someone to hold your feet to the fire and get the job done?
Are you ready to commit to reaching your Big Audacious Goals?
Are you ready to say YES to making it happen this time?
Then lets make a commitment together right now:
Click this link and get closer to your potential.
