Setting business goals is a fundamental step to achieving business success. At ActionCOACH we help our clients to prioritise their business goals and help them to stay focused on them, and following these 7 simple steps will help you implement your goals.
- Define your goals: Write down your long-term and short-term goals, and ensure they align with your overall business strategy. They should also be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). This is often an area where people fall down as they are not specific enough when setting their goals. Being vague will not help you, be as specific as you can.
- Prioritise: Evaluate each goal and prioritise them based on importance and urgency. Use a prioritisation matrix, to help determine which tasks are urgent and important and which are less so. You should first focus on important tasks that need to be done that day. Then deal with the important but not so important task followed by what’s urgent, but not so important and ideally you should delegate these tasks. Finally, those activities that are neither urgent nor important, should be done last.
- Create a plan: Break down each goal into smaller, actionable steps and assign deadlines. Create a project plan with specific tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines to help keep you and your team on track. You must have at least a monthly, quarterly and annual detailed plan so that you can keep on track and use it as a tool to communicate with, and update, your team.
- Monitor progress: Regularly review your progress and adjust your plan as needed. Set up regular check-ins with yourself or your team to ensure you’re making progress and staying on track.
- Stay accountable: Hold yourself and your team accountable for meeting deadlines and achieving goals. Establish a system of accountability, such as regular progress reports or goal reviews, to ensure everyone stays focused and motivated.
- Eliminate distractions: Minimise distractions and focus on your priorities by delegating tasks, saying no to non-essential activities, and setting boundaries. Create a work environment that supports focus and productivity.
- Celebrate successes: Acknowledge and celebrate your progress and accomplishments, no matter how small, to keep your motivation high. Celebrating successes helps build momentum and keeps you focused on the end goal.
Remember, prioritisation is an ongoing process, and your goals and priorities may change as your business evolves. Continuously reassess and adjust your priorities as needed to ensure you stay focused and on track.
WHAT SKILLS DO I NEED TO IMPLEMENT THESE POINTS?
To effectively implement these steps and to prioritise your business goals, you need to stay focused, and you will need a combination of both technical and soft skills, including:
- Planning and organisation skills: You need to develop your abilities to plan, prioritise, and manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
- Time management skills: How well you manage your time so that you can prioritise tasks and meet deadlines is a crucial element of staying focussed. At ActionCOACH we use tools like a “default diary” where you record what you do throughout the day (in 15- or 30-minute intervals) to help you identify where you are time-wasting. The key for a business owner is to be doing tasks that require “skill” and are fun! If they aren’t then you should be delegating them!
- Goal-setting skills: You need to be proficient and able to define clear, measurable, and achievable goals that align with your business strategy. In addition, these should align with your “life goals”. Your business must be delivering you the life that you want. Is your business driving you? If so, where is it taking you? How do you feel about that?
- Communication skills: Communicating is fundamental and you need to be able to communicate your goals, plans, and progress effectively with your team.
- Problem-solving skills: Identifying and solving problems that may arise while pursuing your goals is something that you need to keep your eye on. Every goal and plan will be influenced and affected as time goes by. Life happens, so anticipate what is coming and be prepared to make changes, and pivot your business when major challenges come along…. COVID anyone??!
- Decision-making skills: Your ability to make quick and effective decisions, especially when faced with conflicting priorities, will be a key ingredient in your success.
- Delegation skills: Delegate tasks is often a challenge for business owners who feel uncomfortable “giving” away authority. You cannot do everything and as a business owner, you must learn to delegate effectively to your team, freeing up time for yourself and resources to focus on high-priority tasks.
- Self-discipline: Remaining focused and motivated, even when faced with distractions and setbacks is a key component of success. You will often be drawn off-track, so you need to stick to your plan, remain focussed and disciplined in everything that you do.
- Adaptability: Adjusting your plans and priorities as circumstances change is a key skill that you need to continually develop. You will face many challenges and how you adapt to them will be another key component of your success.
- Teamwork skills: You will find it almost impossible to achieve your goals unless you can work effectively with others, delegate tasks, and hold team members accountable for their responsibilities.
Write down your goals, detail the actions that you are taking to achieve your goals and be disciplined and focused and you will almost guarantee your success!
By Gary Hales