Taking your goals from paper to reality
Before we get started here, I first want to make sure you’ve read Part 1 of this Goal Setting series. If not, jump back and have a read of that first as it guides you through Step 1; the MOST important part of the goal setting process.
Ok. Now you’re up to speed, let’s jump into Part 2 of this Goal Setting series.
Having completed the Wheel of Life exercise, you’ve identified where you need to direct some of your attention to get life running smoothly.
But like me, you’ll probably find that the majority of your goals fall into the category of “WORK”.
This is where we move on to Step 2 in the Goal Setting process and we REFINE.
Once you’ve determined where you want to be and what you want to achieve, you’re able to create a plan to help get you there.
When setting goals for work, it is important to think about the Vision and Mission you have for your business. I start by asking “Where do I want to be in 10 years?” (or in 5 years if 10 is a little too scary for you) and then work backwards from there.
For example, I had a goal a few years ago that I wanted 400 families enrolled in my dance studio in 3 years time. At the time I had 268. In order to get to that goal, I had to set improvements and ‘mini goals’ that could be achieved along the way and could help indicate if I was on the right track. So I decided that by the end of that first year, the number needed to be at 300. By the end of the following year 350, and then by the time 3 years rolled around the magic number of 400.
It’s not enough to put your goal on the wall or your list in a draw and hope for the best. You always need a game plan for how you are going to get there.
Which brings us to Step 3: RISE.
With your goal established, you now need to RISE to the challenge of making it happen.
You can’t just think about it, you can’t just talk about it. At some point you have to roll up your sleeves and do it.
Action is where you will see results; this is the most important part of the goal setting process.
In the above example of me wanting to increase my student numbers, I knew that firstly this would require an improvement in our retention numbers, so we started to implement training and professional development for our team.
Then I knew we would need to increase our brand awareness in the community, so we developed a strategy and implemented this over the next 3 years in order to ensure that when people thought about dance in our area, it was our name or our website that came to mind.
And finally, I knew that in order to attract new students, we would need to focus on the youngest age group, our Twinkle Toes 3-5years. By increasing the class options, class times and advertising targeted at this age group, we saw a huge improvement in our attraction numbers in this younger age group. Then our team did an awesome job in retaining those dancers through to our 6-8 years programs. And before we knew it, we had reached our goal!
But as you can see, it doesn’t happen overnight, and it does require strategic thinking, financial investment, commitment and consistency in order to get where we wanted to be.
Goal setting is the foundation work. Goal execution is where the magic happens.
If you’ve set goals before, not had much success reaching them, and then thought to yourself “What a waste of time that was!” I encourage you to follow this 3-Step process. REFLECT, REFINE, RISE.
Do the work, and reap the benefits.
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Would you like some support in making your goals a reality? Join me for the June intake of Simply Business Accelerator where I will help you master goal setting, productivity, and family-business balance.
Over two x 3-Hour Group Coaching Sessions you will learn how to:
Develop your personal why and discover your values
Evaluate your current situation & plan action steps to move you closer to your goals
Be stepped through goal setting in life and in business
Set business goals for the next 5 years
Develop your company vision, mission and values
Learn how to prioritise your to-do list and work more efficiently
Find a way to spend time with your family whilst also getting all of your work done.
Maximising your power hours, learn to say no, eliminate distractions
Training is held via Zoom on Friday June 18 and 25 from 8.30am - 11.30am.