Playing to your companies’ natural strengths and talents is one of the major keys to success. In other words, doing those things that comes naturally and easy – things that are enjoyable and fulfilling. In addition, successful companies achieve their goals not only because of who they are, but more often because of “what they do.” Here is our take on what successful companies (and people) really do:
Be specific.
When you set a goal, make it obvious exactly what you want to achieve and by when. Just expressing an outcome (e.g. sell 100 widgets this quarter) is not as powerful as expressing your goal as a specific, tangible project that will achieve the desired outcome when successfully implemented. Your goal should not be that easy ‘reachable’ goal; rather it should be that goal that you have never been able to achieve even when it may seem a little uncomfortable. So how much ‘stretching’ outside your comfort zone are you willing to do, in order to achieve that goal? Remember, change never happens until your drive yourself out of your comfort zone.
Test
Goals and projects should be expressed in a way that it is
obvious what the finish line is that you intend to hit by the due date.
For long term projects – what are the desired milestones that you must reach by
the end of this quarter? Is it clear to everyone at which point they can
pop the champagne cork to celebrate achieving a specific milestone?
Optimism with Realism
Just when you set yourself up to succeed, ‘stuff’ happens
and fires need fighting. By setting SMART (Specific, Measureable,
Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals and due dates that take into account that
you will also may need to deal with any fires (or Chaos) that normally comes
along in the process - yet can still achieve your milestones. Don’t
underestimate the difficulties and challenges you will face along the way,
rather allow for these as a business variable in your plan and for the
opportunity to identify and fix a weak link. Don’t forget to DWYSYWD (Do What
You Say You Will Do).
Make Time
“Business as usual” must keep happening in the meantime. You
still need to create opportunities, make sales, deliver products and services,
and collect money – the stuff you do every day to pay the bills. But you
still need to manage your own time to work on the strategic plan– we suggest a
half-day every week. Then, you must take specific meaningful actions on a
regular basis that will move your strategic priorities forward.
Specific
What number one action can you “complete” by the end of the
week that is going to move your progress forward another step? Be
specific. It needs to be a binary (yes/no) action that is within your
control that you can check off and be held accountable for saying, “Yes, I
completed that action this week.” Also,
build an accountability system designed for all key persons involved in
execution of the strategic plan, with a weekly action chart to track the
activities and accomplishment of the key milestones.
Measure Progress
You can only measure, by tracking exactly how far you have
come and know exactly how far you have left to go. Measure your progress
every week. Are you on schedule? Or do you need help? Are you
behind schedule and in danger of missing your due date? Be honest and
confront the brutal facts. Don’t wait until the near the due date to
signal that you are running behind.
Man Up! (or the female equivalent)
Show that you have whatever is necessary to overcome the
obstacles and get it done. The more you exercise your courage muscle, the
stronger it becomes. There are things we have to do that we don’t
particularly enjoy doing in order to achieve success – but everyone has to “eat
your veggies” before you get to have any dessert.
Celebrate
Pop the cork when project goals are reached. The bigger the achievement the bigger the
celebration. Hard work, commitment and
vision needs to be recognized and praised on a regular basis. So, put away
"the whip" and enjoy those moments of success!
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