Whether you are on target, woefully behind, or knocking it out of the park, now is the time to assess your attitude and actions to ensure that you end this year as strong as possible and set yourself up for a stong year ahead.
Coming up short is usually attributed to one or more of these 7 reasons; all of which are in your control. They all have simple and powerful fixes that if you “win” on them daily, you’ll greatly increase the odds of winning the year.
7 Reasons Why You'll Win – or Not:
1. Focus
You started the year with a clear goal and a defined strategy and then… other priorities started to creep in. The market threw you for a loop, your customer demanded something unexpected, you gained a new client, etc. You thought you were just being flexible but actually you were losing focus. For example, if your strategy was to create a standardized approach and offer to drive scale but then you or your team brought in a new one-time project that will boost your numbers, you may find that you are merely riding a wave and you will be no closer to your goal when the project ends. Be as focused about what you say “no” to as what you say “yes” to. What you say “yes” to determines where you’ll end up.
2. Skills Gap
A recent PwC survey shows that the biggest fear of CEOs is the skills gap that exists in the organization. A skills gap that will prevent hitting their strategic goals. If you’re leading a team or an organization, now is the time to re-assess their skills and implement the appropriate training or hiring to get those skills in the organization. As an individual, you might not have all the necessary skills to achieve your goals. Be honest in your self-assessment. Raise your hand and ask for help. Find ways to educate yourself. Become a continuous learner.
3. Coaching
Coach or be coachable. Whether your team is winning or losing, the role of the coach is to keep an eye on the big picture, watch the individual plays and make constant adjustments to maintain or create momentum. As a leader, it’s your job to be in the game as a coach – not as a spectator and not as the referee - but as the coach. As a player, it’s your job to be coachable. Everyone needs a coach to facilitate an environment that helps to get the right things done.
4. Effort
You may miss your goals because you are unclear on the real effort it is going to take. Use history to predict the future. Analyze the activities, the inputs and the outputs and determine the KPIs needed to get there. For example, if it takes 100 calls to gain 20 connects, 5 appointments and 1 new client at an average monthly revenue of $xx, then work backwards to figure out how many calls you will need to make to achieve the total revenue. Without the right activities and effort, sustainable success is usually elusive. Do the math.
5. Deadlines
Time is almost always not on your side. We never have more minutes than we are allotted and the clock is always ticking. Unless you live in a fantasy world, there will always be multiple things that need to get done and many (most) are interruptions to your planned time. What I hear when people say they don’t have time is this: “My goal is not a priority”. And it’s so easy to lose time without clear deadlines around the actions needed to hit your goals. Set deadlines and hold yourself and your team accountable to meeting them. Create small wins by setting deadlines around milestones along the way and celebrating each time you meet them.
6. Who
Look around and see who can help you achieve your goals. There are resources everywhere in organizations. People who can share their experiences, offer support, take some low priority tasks on so you can focus on moving the big rocks. Take a look at the highest and best use of your time and figure out how to capitalize on it. Even individual contributors can delegate activities. Get creative. If your company doesn’t pay for it, then pay for it yourself. Find a college intern, a neighbor or a part-time employee to do some work that takes up your precious time (see #5).
7. Why
Simon Sinek said it best when he said – “Start with Why”. Your Why is your purpose, cause or belief that inspires you to do what you do. When you think, act and communicate starting with the Why, you can also inspire others. WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) is what everyone wants to know. Get clear on why you have the goals you have and the WIIFM for others to join you on your journey. Start here and go back to
#1.
Companies and individuals alike assume the success of the year is a forgone conclusion. They either “read their own press clippings” which means that they think they’ve got things nailed or they succumb to “socially accepted excuses” as to why they are failing (budget was too aggressive, lost a client unexpectedly, etc.). Either way, they fail to make the necessary adjustments and they end the year short of goal or worse, give up altogether.
Butler Street’s focus is on helping companies and their people grow. We can help you hit your goals through consulting, training, leadership development or coaching. If you’d like us to help you course correct and/or implement best practices to help ensure you meet your goals this year and every year, let’s connect.