Ready for this to be your best year yet in your business? It’s time to start setting goals and planning for success! Achieving business success isn’t easy, and you won’t get there just by working hard with no strategy. Moving from goal setting to goal crushing requires a thoughtful plan, realistic goal-setting practices, and the right support.
If you want to set yourself up to meet your annual business goals this year, read on for some tips on how to actually achieve your new years business goals this year.
Setting the right goals
Even if you do set goals for yourself and your business, you are likely missing crucial pieces. SMART goals are great for individuals, but as a business owner and a leader, you need to set FAST goals.
Frequently Reviewed
Business goals, especially ambitious ones, need to be frequently reviewed to make sure that they are on the right track. Reviewing them at least weekly also helps to make sure that the team is on the same page about what needs to be accomplished and that everyone is working towards the same goal.
A good coach can help you set up the systems and processes you need to review your goals and performances based on data. So you can be sure about what’s working and what’s not based on hard facts and not emotional instincts.
If you continue to set goals but never review them, or if every time you review them, it feels like a waste of time, then this is a sign that your goals are not ambitious or realistic. Which leads us to the next crucial part of your success with goal setting.
Ambitious
Multiple studies have categorically proven that setting easy goals can actually do a lot more harm than good. Easy goals don’t push you or your team to grow and can leave you feeling stagnant – business-wise.
The goal should stretch you and your business beyond what is comfortable, but it should still be achievable with the right planning and execution. A business coach can help make sure that the goal is not too far from reach but also not too close so that it won’t challenge you.
Working with a business coach can help you combine your vision with the capacity of your team to set the right goals for your business and most importantly in the right sequence. So you can continue to grow and scale your business without burning out yourself or your team.
Specific
This is the part that most people know and still struggle to get right. As a business owner, it’s not enough to set goals that are clear in terms of your success. When will you know that you have achieved your goal? How will you know that you are on track to achieve it? It’s not just important that these are clearly defined for you as the leader.
The goal also needs to be clearly defined in terms of deliverables for you and every person on your team. If they don’t know what they need to do to help you achieve your dream, they will not be able to do their best work.
A business coach can help you break the goal down into smaller, achievable steps and ensure that everyone knows what needs to be done so that everyone is on the same page. This also helps your business stay accountable for its goals and ensures that you are not just sitting around hoping for something to happen.
Transparent
It’s not enough to just write down your business goals on a piece of paper and hope that everyone remembers them. You have to make sure they are seen and understood by every team member if you want those goals achieved.
That’s why transparent goal setting is such a critical distinction. It ensures that everyone involved knows what has to be done, when it needs to be done, who is responsible and most importantly when the goal is off track and what is in the way which is often missed by teams.
Setting transparent goals and communicating them, and reviewing them frequently with your team is crucial if you want your business to succeed. And that’s why you should consider getting a business coach. An experienced coach can help guide you and your team through the goal-setting process, help with communication and accountability, and ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to your goals.
However, it’s not enough to just set these goals. You also need to
Assign responsibilities and hold team members accountable.
As a business owner, you are looking at the business as a whole and how the goals align with your vision. It’s hard for your team members to see that vision and continue to stay motivated without the right systems in place.
As their leader, it’s on you to clearly communicate their responsibility and hold them accountable with weekly and monthly reviews as needed. This will help ensure that everyone is working towards the business goals and that those goals remain top of mind for all involved.
Provide training and support.
Setting ambitious goals and actually achieving them means pushing yourself AND your team out of your comfort zone. This means your team is now doing things they haven’t done before. In order to do that and do it well, they need to be trained and supported. Offering ongoing support helps you stay connected with your team, build morale, and create a positive work environment.
One great way to train and support your team is to bring in a business coach. Small business owners have a lot of responsibilities that can be daunting – from managing operations to developing business strategies. Finding the right business coach for your business can make all the difference because they are close enough to it with you, but not accountable for the result which gives them critical objectivity. Don’t underestimate the value of having someone who understands what you’re trying to do and how to get there – a mentor who supports you every step of the way!
Stay focused and avoid distractions.
If every day of your business is chaotic, it can become almost impossible to stay focused on your goals, let alone motivate your team to do it too. To achieve your big ambitious goals, it’s important that you and your team stay focused on the end goal.
Running a business means that you are dealing with a hundred problems and decisions every day. It can become very easy to get distracted by the every day and forget what’s important in the long run.
At the end of the day, your business is only as successful as you make it. That’s why business coaches, goal-setting practices, and other tools are so important for small business owners.
Seek support and accountability.
Investing in business coaching and support is a must for small business owners to achieve their goals. You need someone to keep you accountable, provide guidance, and offer encouragement along the way. A business coach will help you create specific objectives and motivations that are aligned with your overall business goals. Coaching can provide the necessary resources to get you where you want to be.
A good coach can help you set up the necessary systems and processes in place to ensure that your business is running at its maximum efficiency to achieve your goals. They can help you identify areas where you are falling short and provide solutions to get your business back on track.
Be flexible and adaptable.
That’s a key business tip for any business owner or business coach out there. As an entrepreneur, you must be willing to review your business goals and data regularly, so you can make adjustments where needed. Don’t be afraid to pivot if something isn’t working. It may feel like a big risk, but it could lead to bigger rewards. Be open to making tweaks or adjustments to your business and goals while documenting the original plan so that you can learn what you missed the first time around. That way, you’ll be better prepared for whatever comes your way.
A good coach will help you track the right metrics to know exactly where you are in your business. This will help you track progress and make decisions with data-driven insight. So, don’t be afraid to reach out for business coaching when you need it. Remember, be flexible in your business approach, and never be afraid to pivot if something isn’t working.