Skip to main content

Goal Setting

Happy December!  I hope that this is a joyous time for you all.  Over the past few weeks, I have been knee-deep in setting goals for next year. It can be difficult to remain positive while setting goals. As a business owner, you must strive to create a game plan while knowing to “expect the unexpected.” This month, I want to touch on three actions that helped me stay focused on setting goals: (1) anticipate the unexpected; (2) make decisions after weighing all options, and (3) move forward (don’t dwell on the past).

When setting goals, you must take time to consider what might go wrong in order to have flexible goals in place. People pass away, the market crashes, oil prices continue to plummet, home prices go down, and employees resign.  All of these things can affect your company’s performance.  Don’t set goals that cannot work around the unexpected twists and turns that will arise throughout the year.

On the other hand, people who face a lot of difficult decisions at once will often avoid making a decision at all. I call this the analysis paralysis phase. Poor decision-makers often delay their response or miss out on opportunities altogether when faced with a lot of options. Moving forward in those moments takes courage. Weigh all your options, make a decision and then move forward.

Some people make poor decisions or no decisions at all because they use the same data and processes they have always used.  They get comfortable with approaches that worked in the past and do not feel the need to seek out better ones. While too much change is never good for any organization, people and companies must look at current processes and evaluate them constantly. This task works best when it involves the collaboration of all who have invested interest in the company’s success.


I wish you all a successful close to 2015 and a prosperous 2016!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

August Accountability  “A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” -Thomas Paine Accountability and humility are traits that one might not see as such a tenacious asset to have in the workplace.  More and more we hear of a "collective narcissism" sweeping the business world. Some say they are not surprised at this trend, and point fingers at a mainstream culture that supports unrealistic expectations, cutthroat competition, materialism, and self obsession.  I am sure we all have worked in organizations where the daily practices of dishonesty, blame-shifting, and gaslighting are an accepted artform, and clients are treated like commodities.  Whatever the cause of what seems to be an uprising in a culture of blame-shifting and un-accountability.. The house of cards is destined to crumble.  Fostering a Culture of Accountability  Though it seems like an extremely loft...
Post a Comment
Read more

Breaking Bad Habits

For those of us with kids, summer can be awesome.  It is a chance for our young children to thrive, have some fun and play.  It can also be a time when “bad” habits can be formed.  For me and our children specifically, some days with too much technical time, going to bed too late, sleeping in, not hanging up wet suits, “skipping” baths a bit too much, etc.  With school beginning many of these bad habits have to be broken and a healthier routine maintained.  We try to have a healthy routine because it affects our grades and how we perform and interact in school. In business it is just as easy to develop bad habits that need to be broken.  This month I want to talk about some bad business habits that should be broken immediately. “ I don’t have time right now ”. We all have the same numbers of hours in each day; it is how we choose to spend them that separate us from the rest.   When you state that you don’t have time it is usually because you a...
Post a Comment
Read more
July Eyes on the Prize How do we keep our focus on our work in the sultry summer months full of celebrations, graduations, weddings, reunions, and vacations? As we are well aware of, many of us lose our focus on our work during the summer months. Recently, our office was gifted with an extra day off to celebrate the 4th of July Holiday, only to return to a lot of scattered co-workers and clients playing what seems to be a perpetual "catch up". What are some ways to stay focused on your business/your work during the summer? What are some ways to efficiently manage the growing list of duties to catch up on? 1. Plan out Your Day: It is a must to set daily goals and prioritize them in order of importance. In the evening, not only is it extremely helpful to set out your clothes, prepare your food, but it is also psychologically helpful to go over your calendar to ease your mind and produce better sleep resulting in a more productive and focused day. Whether you have a pl...
Post a Comment
Read more