2016 is almost here and it is my sincere wish that everyone I know is able to get the business results they truly desire. Here are 5 tips to consider that will help get you where you truly want to be.
1. When you think of the coming year, do you have a vision for what you want for your business in 2016?
So often, people do the same thing in business that they do with managing their checkbooks. They live paycheck to paycheck! Likewise, many business owners and leaders will often set goals on what they think is possible based on a small increase of what they have achieved in the past. If that works for you, great! But if you are seeking something more... if you think you can do more and achieve more, don't base your goals on last year. Really sit down and think about what you WANT. What do you really want for your business? What types of customers do you want? What type of work do you want? Who do you want to be involved? When do you want it? If you were to know, what would that movie be? REALLY envision it. Now describe it. Put it on paper. Make a vision board. Make a video. Anything that you can refer to regularly. Tell those closest to you (especially in your business) what your vision is. The key is that you have to make that picture so perfect in your mind, the sounds so resonating, the feelings so strong... that you want nothing less than to tell yourself that it is yours to have.
2. Do you have goals that will measure whether or not you achieve that vision?
Now that you have a strong vision of what you want (as opposed to what you expect) , be sure your goals are in alignment. Often people make the mistake of summarizing it down to a dollar goal, but it should be so much more than that.
How many lives will you touch? How will you measure that their lives improved because of the products or services you provide? How easy are you making it for them to do business with you? The most successful businesses in the long-term recognize the value of return customers and word of mouth advertising. Considering the impact to your customers becomes paramount if you want to build on your 2016 success.
In order to not only provide that loyalty building result, but also minimize your expenses, you also must have employees who are engaged and productive. How will you measure that you are making the most use of your assets? What are your goals around employee engagement?
There may also be other elements that are critical to your business such as safety, compliance with regulatory requirements, etc. Having a holistic and balanced view of success will help you win for the long-term, not just next year.
3. Now that you have your ultimate vision and goals designed, what actions do you need to take to bridge the gap between your dreams and reality?
Again, this is another place where people flub up. They say, "oh the first step is...ABC, the next is DEF, and then GHI." WRONG! If you design your action plan by identifying the first step you need to take, it won't be long and you will before you are as far off course as Columbus when he first discovered the new world by just sailing west!
If you want to be successful, you must start with the end in mind. What is the very last step that you need to take before you will achieve your goal? What is the step before that? And before that? You MUST reverse engineer the steps to success. When you do that, it suddenly becomes more feasible to achieve your goals in the time frame you want them.
4. How will you know that each of those action steps is getting you the results you want?
If you don't know what results to expect from each of those action steps, you won't know if you are on track. If you don't know if you are on track, it will be too late to change course by the time you figure it out. You also won't know what the value is of the time, energy, and money you spend on those action steps. You could be taking action for actions sake. Spinning your wheels is never a good thing, so make sure you can measure the traction.
5. What commitments are you willing to make to ensure you achieve success and what boundaries do you need to establish to keep focus?
Consciously making the commitment to take those actions is critical to bringing that dream to life. Along the way, there will be distractions and offers that could take you in a different direction. How will you be sure that those distractions and offers are worth your time, money, or energy? If they are not contributing to your ultimate vision, you may need to respectfully decline to spend your time, money or energy on them.
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I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that these 5 tips can turn a business into the equivalent of the 2015 World Series Champions. The Kansas City Royals are a perfect example of a team who started their year with a crystal clear vision and focused action who ultimately got the desired results they wanted (for the first time in 30 years). I wish the same for your business in 2016!
Williamvads