Have you set your goals?

Goal Setting

Step 1:

Vision setting- the What!

1. What do you want?

2. What do you have to do?

3. What could get in the way?

4. How do you hold yourself accountable?

When you answer the questions, follow the process and then add a burning desire to the mix, you will be unstoppable. Vision plus focus plus emotional intensity enables you to accomplish great things. It all starts at the top. A leader probably only needs to make 2-3 key decisions a year. Sure, the day to day stuff is always going to be there but those decisions don’t move the ball. Devote yourself to those key decisions.

Communicate!

Annually- State of the Company address.

Quarterly- Planning session with team

• What went right?

• What went wrong?

• What have we learned?

• Did we do what we said we would?

• Where did we miss? And why?

• What are the big opportunities that have come up this quarter?

• What are the biggest challenges and how are dealing with them?

• What new goals should we set for the next quarter and how can we ensure they are aligned with our annual plan?

Monthly- update the staff

• Share how the company did compared with expectations. What did we do right? What did we do wrong?

• Share the plan for the quarter, discuss initiatives.

• Recognize people that made a difference.

• Celebrate service anniversary’s and birthdays.

• Introduce new people.

Weekly- Meet with leadership team. Discuss and review progress on initiatives and who might need help and from whom to make it happen. Keep the overall focus on the company goals not the tyranny of the urgent!

Step 2:

Mission setting- the Why!

Our mission is to ______________(do what)_______________for(who are you doing it for?) by__________________(how you do it) so ________________(why you do it).

Example: ABC Company’s mission is to remove the roadblocks to investing for all clients by creating an easy-to-use technology platform with low account minimums so every person can reach financial freedom.

Once created your vision and mission should become a fabric of your organization. Communicate it often and freely. Imbed it in your company culture so everyone is pushing in the same direction.

Step 3:

Determine your Huge Outrageous Targets (HOTs). A HOT is the one goal (at most 2) that matters most. It gives direction to the firm and failure to achieve it will make every other accomplishment pale in comparison.

The discipline of setting HOTs keep us in check and focused on the absolute-most-critical goal. Check all activity against this goal. Is what you are doing right now going to contribute toward our HOT?

How do you set your HOT? What HOT when achieved would have the greatest impact on our company? Properly set, your HOT should inspire, motivate, reinforce your vision and DRIVE company culture.

Points to consider:

• Have an overarching HOT for the company as a whole.

• Don’t focus on any more than 2 HOTs (preferably 1)

• The battles you choose must win the war.

• Senior managers can veto but not dictate.

• All HOTs must have a finish line (what to what by when).

Where do you want to be in 12 months? What do you desire in terms of growing your company revenues and profits? What is going to guarantee we get there?

Develop a scoreboard. It should track progress toward the HOT and be in a spot everyone can access.

Hold each other accountable by having your annual, monthly and weekly meetings. It time these will set the tone, develop the culture and propel your team to success year after year! Challenge the team to beat the daily and weekly goal. Watch their success meet and then beat the HOT every year!