Each year in January, entrepreneurs, and moguls around the world make new year resolutions to help them reach their business goals.
Common resolutions include personal and professional goals like starting a business, building financial capacity, and even improving health and wellness.
As an entrepreneur, your first responsibility is to plan ahead. Not just for your personal agenda, but for the growth of your company.
Your second responsibility is to avoid being a part of the status quo. A recent study by the University of Scranton suggests that only 8% of people actually achieve their goals.
To avoid being part of the 92%, here are four tips to help you achieve your goals in 2018.
Create an accountability system
Research shows that when it comes to health and wellness goals, having a partner could mean the difference between success and failure.
The primary reason for this is that having a partner creates a built-in accountability and motivational system. The same is true for your business goals.
Practical accountability systems may include creating visual reminders of your goals, scheduling check-ups on your progress throughout the year, and designating key team members that are responsible for monitoring your goals.
Being intentional about holding yourself and your team members accountable using these tools will ensure that your resolutions will not be an afterthought by the middle of the year.
[bctt tweet=”Be S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Be S.M.A.R.T
I often encourage entrepreneurs to use the S.M.A.R.T. method when setting professional goals.
S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
Specific goals break down your general goals into manageable bite-size pieces. A great example of this might be to increase your annual revenue.
“Increase revenue in 2018” is a decent general goal. An even better goal is to “increase revenue in 2018 by identifying profit leaks, and creating monthly marketing campaigns in order to obtain new clients.”
Even that specific goal can be further developed as you think about other factors that will affect the outcome. By ensuring that your goals are S.M.A.R.T., you set yourself up to experience the thrill of achievement that will become motivation for future success.
Be Flexible
Life happens, which means that despite your best efforts, some things will still go awry. Part of good goal planning is recognizing that and planning accordingly.
Having flexibility in your approach and expectations relieves everyone involved of the pressure that comes with perfectionism. By recognizing that things may not always go as planned, you open the door for creativity to flow, and for discussion about alternative approaches to the goal.
[bctt tweet=”Achieving your goals is as much a matter of timing, as it is a matter of consistency.- @Andrena_Sawyer” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Create Rewards
Rewards are good for morale, which is good for productivity. As you set your business goals, a rewards system is as important as any other piece of the process.
Whether big or small, rewards that highlight performance, collaboration and other values that are important to you and any team members could be the extra motivation for your overall success.
If you find that, in years past, you have been among the 92% of people that don’t achieve their goals, there’s no better time to change that pattern than now.
Achieving your goals is as much a matter of timing, as it is a matter of consistency. No matter where you are in the process, continue to forge ahead using these tips for success in 2018, and in the years to come.