You are four steps away from achieving your goals!
It’s annual review time.
How do you feel about your performance last year?
Are you feeling confident about your business plan for this year?
Annual reviews are the time to reflect on the past twelve months, celebrate the wins, and see where you may have fallen short. In a recent sales meeting we talked about the year, and how many of us reached our goals. We also discussed the framework to exceed our goals by applying a 4-step system.
If I told you there was a 4-step system to help ensure you achieve your goals, would you follow it? There is a secret and an approach to achieving your goals!
This 4-Tier GOAL Framework takes the guesswork out and guarantees success. It focuses on the letter in the acronym “GOAL” in the 4 Tier GOAL Framework and how to use it to help you achieve your goals. I learned this system from a podcast I was listening to called On Purpose from Jay Shetty and had to share it with you.
Focus on Growth, Not Goals
People’s biggest mistake is focusing on goals, not the growth needed. Putting intention into action requires a focused look at what growth is necessary to achieve the goal.
Answer these key questions to determine what kind of growth will be needed:
What skills do I need to learn or improve?
Do I have all the tools I need?
What abilities do I need to gather or grow?
What qualities do I need to strengthen or develop?
What habits do I need to grow or change?
Strategically focusing on these questions provides the framework needed for improvement and achievement of the goal. We focus on growth vs. the goal.
Prioritize Opportunities
There is no shortage of things that take our time or attention. Being clear about our intentions and focus is vital and helps us avoid getting distracted by opportunities that don’t help us meet our goals.
One of the biggest reasons we don’t achieve our goals is that we say yes to too many things that are not our priority and no to too many things that are our priority.
For example, one of my priorities is working out every morning. I say no to everything else during my workout time unless it is a family emergency.
This decision gives me hard and fast criteria to stick to when considering if something is important enough to come between me from achieving my goal.
If my goal is to get up early, I may have to say no to late-night outings because it doesn’t fit the criteria for meeting my goal.
Having criteria in place also helps us evaluate when it’s okay to go outside of that. For example, someone looking to grow their business and needs new clients has to set criteria about blocking time to do so. You may have to say no to other requests that steer you away from your plan.
One of the biggest reasons we don’t achieve our goals and resolutions is that we don’t create criteria around our opportunities.
Take Action
We need to be strategic in planning how we will achieve this. Too many of us set these lofty goals but never break them down into how we will get there. We have goals and an understanding of opportunities, but we fail to implement a plan. It requires discipline and consistency.
I am a visual, so it may help to think of goal achievement as a ladder. Each rung is vital for success. Breaking a goal down into achievable steps makes it less overwhelming; it motivates you to start now.
If your action plan does not build a step ladder to steps you can begin right now, that is not a complete action plan.
For example, I shared that my goal was working out in the morning, but it is not actionable. I need to break it down into steps, like running these five times a week at 6 am. Breaking it down into steps will bring success. The more specific you are, the better your opportunity to follow through.
A complete action plan includes the following:
What are we going to do – what is the goal, and what are the small steps
When we are going to do it – put the time and date on the calendar
Where is this taking place – chose it
How we are going to do it – be specific about tools, equipment, strategy
Whom we are doing it with – have accountability
Why – what is our motivation
Learning
The final piece of the framework for reaching your goals is Learning. The intentional focus changed everything. Knowing what this year will be about helps provide direction and purpose.
In what areas are you committed to growing this year?
What are you learning now that will make it more successful?
Commit this year to learn. Read more, talk to others, and take classes. Focused learning fosters curiosity, exploration, and intrigue. It puts fuel into the momentum you need for personal and professional growth.
Keep celebrating the wins, and create time and energy for learning. This area allows you to learn new skills, prioritize opportunities, take action and grow!
If you think someone could benefit from this share it.
Learn more about Simplifying Your sales meetings using 3-word topics at http://www.threewordmeetings.com.