Have you ever taken the time to stand back to look at your business from a different perspective and think about what you want your company to actually give you? It could be a vision you had, one which gave you a boost and helped you muster the courage to move out of the 9-5 grind and start on your own venture. It could also be the quality time you want to spend with your family or the support you want to provide your community.
You might know exactly what your long-term business goals are, but it’s likely you don’t have a very clear-cut idea about the weekly and daily steps you should take; the crucial areas of focus etc. that can help give that vision shape. The best way to achieve your business goals is to create a system that simplifies the process of turning visions into goals; and those goals into tasks and focuses that you should follow on a weekly and daily basis.
How to achieve your business goals
#1 Review your annual goals
- Create a set of clear business development goals
- Make sure the goals are S.M.A.R.T, i.e.- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and time-bound
- Create a quarterly planning document
- A quarterly roadmap is important
- Schedule weekly reviews and plans
#2 Make sure all your employees are on board
- It’s important that your team know what your exact goals are. Without a clear understanding of these, they just wouldn’t be able to get on board to help you with achieving them.
- Some business owners don’t share this information with their employees. But this can be counterproductive as it impacts creativity and teamwork. It also leaves room for confusion and gives rise to silos and competing priorities.
- If you don’t share your goals with your team, they will just end up relying on you all the time to make every single decision. Aside from this, you can’t ask them to contribute their ideas, which just saps your focus, efficiency and time.
- Your team needs to understand the background and goals and why you feel these goals are achievable and how they can help you achieve them.
#3 Listen and be open to feedback
- It’s crucial that you ask for your team’s feedback and be open to new ideas and diverse views and ideas.
- You should also look for ways and means to ensure your employees are enthusiastic about helping you achieving those goals.
- Silence isn’t something you want from your employees; that is only an indication of lack of interest and ownership.
- If you hear your employees displaying doubts about whether a certain goal is achievable within a specified time, pay attention to what they are saying and why.
- Once you have a clearer understanding of their qualms, see whether you can make adjustments.
- When you are positive in your approach to working in this manner with your team, you will notice that they are more eager to work as they feel a sense of having been heard and this increases the levels of mutual ownership.
Teamwork is what matters the most
Create a comprehensive quarterly goal planning document and never try to micromanage your team. Delegate tasks to departmental heads and oversee everything to make sure that things are on track and that you are closer to achieving your business goals.
Review these quarterly goal documents with the managers and make it a point to conduct quick daily and weekly reviews. The most important aspect is to get the buy-in of your employees. This adds a whole new level of purpose, meaning & productivity to the way your team works.
