Start With the End in Mind
A great place to start when setting goals in your business is to look at the big picture. Where do you see your business in 2-3 years? Consider this in some detail. What products or services do you want to offer? What will your service delivery model look like? What financial results would you like to see?
It\’s important to connect your goals to the bigger picture and end results you\’d like to see long term in your business. Knowing why you are taking the actions you are and what specific results you want to realize, create the motivation needed for success as well as the progress you can track along the way.
Where Are You Now
Next, consider where your business is now. Get a clear understanding of the beginning and potential endpoint in order to route your journey from one to the other.
This may be a useful time to review your goals and outcomes from last year. What worked and what didn\’t. What can you learn from your previous experiences?
Break it Down
In order to be successful in reaching the long term vision of your business, it is important to break down the larger goals into smaller, actionable steps and connect them to where you are right now.
What next steps would move you from where you are toward where you want to be in your business? What projects do you want to focus on over the next 6 months? What specific results would you like to see in 3 months? 6 months?
Review and Course Correct
As you take action towards your goals, it is important to schedule time at regular intervals to check in on your progress. What is working and what isn\’t? Do any goals need to be revised? Is any course correction needed to reach the desired results?
Depending on your business, once a quarter is typically a good time to review goals and make any changes to keep your business on track. This is also an excellent time to add any new goals as others are achieved.
As you dive into this process, you are likely to discover the tweaks and customizations that work best in your unique business. You\’ll find this is a simple and effective way to create a goals-driven business that is motivating and mission aligned.