Break It Down
Goal setting is an important part of starting and owning a business. Without business goals, you may find that you are floundering around in your business with no direction. Your business goals can keep you focused on where you want to be, while helping you create a plan for getting there.
Once you’re ready to get started with goal setting, these 10 powerful goal setting steps will help you achieve even your most ambitious business goals.
The first step is to break down your goals. Business goals are often long-term and require quite a bit of work, time and effort. By breaking down your goals into manageable action steps, it is easier to focus on what you need to do right now and not get overwhelmed by the process.
A good way to break down your business goals is by creating an action plan made up of individual tasks that each include one clearly defined action. By thinking in terms of baby steps, it’s easy to make progress and have small accomplishments every day.
Track Your Progress
Part of successful goal setting is tracking how far you’ve come. Not only can this be a great motivator, but it can also help you plan future goals and action steps.
You can track your progress by conducting weekly and/or monthly goal check-ins that help you evaluate what you have accomplished and where you need to focus more of your attention. It may also be helpful for you to create milestones based on time and progress so you can easily tell if you’re on track for reaching your goal.
Commit to the Process
Effective goal setting requires clarity about what the goal involves, knowledge on what type of effort will be required, and specific reasons why the goal is important to you. It also includes a plan for how you will accomplish each step, and perhaps most importantly, a commitment to seeing the goal through to completion.
If you are unable to commit to the goal by taking time to develop a plan, and scheduling the time to focus on the action steps that will bring you closer to your goal, you will face an unnecessarily difficult challenge.
Build a Support System
A support system can help you reach your goals in a number of ways:
- You can be motivated by the knowledge that you have a solid team behind you.
- You can learn from the experiences and backgrounds of your team.
- Your team can cheer you on when you face challenges in the process.
- You can be held accountable by your team for doing what you say you want to do.
- Your team can provide a perspective that’s different from your own.
- Your team can help you celebrate your successes.
Your support system can be comprised of family, friends, mentors, colleagues, or anyone who supports you and wants to see you succeed.
Stay Flexible
Very few things happen exactly as we anticipate, both in business and in life. It’s vital to be able to adjust to changes and modify your plan as necessary, without losing momentum.
While it’s important to have a clearly defined plan for accomplishing your goals, you should avoid rigidity and narrow-minded thinking. The more agile you are and the quicker you can change directions when you need to, the easier it will be for you to keep progress steady in the face of the unexpected.
Keep Your Eye on the Prize
When you’re working toward a long-term or ambitious goal, it’s important to break it down into small and manageable steps that you can tackle every day. But while you’re focusing on taking it one step at a time, you should make sure you are clear on what you are working toward.
Big picture thinking is an effective way to stay motivated and focused. Take some time to envision what it will look like and feel like when you’ve reached your goal. Then, return to that vision during the process to remind yourself why this goal is so important to you.
Accept Imperfection
A challenge with goals for many of us is the desire to do everything correctly, each step of the way. Sometimes, this idea of perfection and the fear of failure holds us back and prevents us from making progress.
When it comes to goals, forward-moving progress often trumps mistakes, so it can be more important to keep the process moving than to wait until the situation is perfect in order to proceed. It’s also important to consider that mistakes provide a powerful learning experience; a misstep can open your eyes up to new ideas and approaches that you may not otherwise see.
Don’t Stop Moving
We’ve outlined the importance of being able to change directions and accept imperfection. In these situations, and during your everyday process, it’s important to keep moving forward, even when the situation is not what you expect it to be.
Although your path may change and your progress may seem minimal, the only way to reach your goal is to keep taking it step-by-step and piece-by-piece. Every time you complete a baby step, you are getting closer to achieving your goal, and as long as you continue to move forward you are on the path to success.
Think Positively
Being confident in your ability to achieve your goal can play a significant role in your success. You have to believe in yourself if you are going to achieve your goal.
Thinking positively, encouraging yourself, and being encouraged by your support team is vital. Positive thoughts can often carry you through tough challenges, unexpected changes and other tests of your will.
Celebrate Your Successes
It’s important to celebrate your successes throughout your goal setting and achievement process, even the small wins. By celebrating, you are taking time to recognize the effort that went into your achievement, while motivating yourself to keep pushing through to the next step of your goal.
Celebrating success is also a good way to get closure on each stage of the process, and come back refreshed and refocused on your continued progress.
By following these 10 powerful goal setting steps, you will be able to break down your long-term goals and take baby steps each day that get you closer and closer to success.