Jan

Business Goals and Accountability

Business goals only become reality when we take the proper steps to reach them. One of the steps that matters in a big way is how we hold ourselves accountable. If we don’t put systems in place that make us accountable to ourselves and to others around us we severely limit our potential. It’s fairly easy to write out your goals, and come up with objectives once you have the tools to do so. What has been a challenge for me personally is getting others to hold me accountable for the goals I’ve set. There are no shortcuts to success and I believe accountability is one of the keys to reaching your business goals consistently.

How to Reach Your Goals More Consistently

There are few simple accountability steps that I recommend when you want to add extra power to your goals. When you add these tools to your goals and objectives arsenal you’ll be able to reach your dreams faster and more efficiently.

Five Accountability Steps for Your Business Goals:

Make your business goals public on your blog, Twitter, or Facebook
Ask your family to check up on you
Tell your team at work what you are doing
Schedule your accountability checkups with the people you trust and respect
Hire a business coach

I know how scary it can be to involve others in your personal dreams and goals. Don’t let that fear keep you from moving forward. Start with someone you can trust and share your goals with them. Ask them for feedback on your objectives. I find that just talking through what my goals are with someone else helps me find the errors in my thought process.

Once you’re comfortable with sharing your goals with a friend or family member, you should carefully consider hiring a business coach. The reason that I recommend paying for a business coach is because once you are paying for accountability you’ll tend to act on the advice rather than just ignore it (which we sometimes do when we get advice from friends or family). You’ll achieve your business goals a lot faster when you have someone personally interested in seeing you succeed.

Business goals can seem overwhelming at first, but when you define the goal, the objectives, and use accountability you can succeed more consistently.

Take action today and reap the benefits of strategic accountability!

Dec

Knowing the Difference Between Goals and Objectives

Goals Versus Objectives Every year around this time I start to think about my goals. What do I want to accomplish next year? Where do I want to go, how much do I want to earn and save, and how do I want my business to grow? Those are the kind of goals that I think about and begin to write down.

Last week while discussing some of these things with my friend Scott he pointed something out that I believe will be incredibly valuable to you as you move ahead.

There is a Big Difference Between Goals and Objectives

Goals can often be the distant dreams that we want to achieve, but they often lack concrete steps. Objectives are the steps that we identify and accomplish one after another. I really like what this image I’ve included illustrates. The red puzzle piece in the person’s hand is an objective. It is what will help them reach their goal.

The other thing that really hit home with me was that I believe military forces work off of objectives, not just goals. When was the last time you heard the commander in a movie or a real live press conference use the word “goals”? They usually speak about the objectives that they are outlining and accomplishing. At the end of the battle they have either completed their objectives or failed to complete their objectives. They are responsible to justify their results to their superiors and explain why they have or haven’t succeeded. The completion of the war is the goal, while each single battle, and each capture of a strategic point, are the objectives that help them reach the goal.

How Do I Reach My Goals Using Objectives?

First of all, realize that your goals will be unattainable unless you breakdown each step. Each single piece that helps you reach your goal needs your complete focus. Break things down into steps that are relevant for your daily life. Make sure that you have someone to hold you accountable, and schedule your to do list. If you are careful to line up the right objectives then you’ll successfully reach more of your goals.

What helps you reach your objectives? Is there something I can do to help you? Contact me or post in the comments and I’ll do whatever I can do to help you turn goals into real objectives.

Dec

My Secret Focus Techniques

A simple define:focus Google search in my browser returns this line as the top definition:

“The concentration of attention or energy on something.”

One of the skills that I am proud to have learned from my grandfather is the ability to focus all of my energy and attention on a single goal. This is not something that I’ve always been good at, but it’s something that I’ve thought a lot about and worked hard to improve upon over the years. The ability to use everything you have to focus on a single point is a skill that can be developed. Don’t be tricked into thinking that it’s a skill you are either born with or born without. You can improve your own focus today.

Tools I’ve Used To Focus:

I’ve used many different techniques and tools to focus my energy and time over the years. Each one has taught me something useful and one of them might be a perfect fit for you:

The Pomodoro Technique – Mental sprinting throughout the day.

Timetables – Using timetables has been very effective for me because it’s motivating on a daily basis.

Schedule based to do lists – Makes my calendar a great success tool.

Tools are a great thing to have when trying to tackle something, but they don’t get the work done all by themselves. They require your action as well.

What’s My Secret?

I’m a fanatic about my goals, and I believe there are three things that bring it all together for me when I work hard to focus everything I have on a single goal.

1. My Resolution to Succeed:

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. ~ Abraham Lincoln

This quote from Abraham Lincoln has stuck with me in the midst of some of the toughest parts of my life. I’ve found that my attitude about the challenges I face at work and anywhere else in life is the defining factor in my focus and success. When you sit down to a new task tell yourself that there is NOTHING that can take your attention away from it. Stick with it until you’ve accomplished everything you want to accomplish.

2. My Tunnel Vision:

Since I’ve already resolved to focus every bit of my energy on succeeding at the task at hand, I physically and mentally push everything out of my way until I have a clear line of sight. I envision the completion of my goal, and I tell myself that it can be achieved in the very near future. To clear my physical surroundings of distractions I often clean my desk, clean my office, and turn away from anything that will catch my eye and distract me. To clear my mind, I put headphones on and put on music that won’t distract me. I play something I’ve heard hundreds of times before.

The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook. ~ William James

3. My Competitive Spirit:

I live in a Chicago with around 3 million other people. I am very conscious of the fact that there are thousands of other individuals just like me who are trying to take my job. Not only in my surrounding city but all over the globe there are talented hard working people just like me who want to work for my clients. I remember that when I wake up each morning. I live in the USA and have no excuse but to perform at a higher level with all the incredible resources I have at my disposal. My competitive spirit keeps me focused and helps me eliminate distractions.

What helps you focus? Have you found something that really does the trick and helps you stay on track? I’m always searching for new ways to improve my own focus, so I hope you’ll share your secrets in the comments!

Dec

Are You Thinking for the Future?

Are you just trying to make it through the day? Are you thinking about what to do the rest of the weekend or next week? Are you thinking for the future?

Living in the moment is good advice for some parts of our day but we can’t forget to look ahead to what may be coming in our future. What is ahead on your path? Do you have any control of it? You may have formed an opinion already about how destiny treats you, but I’d like to challenge that today. There are definitely some parts of our future that we affect.

Actions That Change Our Future For The Better:

Planning out the coming week
Writing out your goals
Breaking down your goals into daily steps
Daily choosing a positive attitude
Managing your time
Managing your finances

Actions That Change Our Future For The Worse:

Ignoring the elephant in the room
Choosing not look at your goals daily
Thinking someone else will handle the problem
Spending time or money unwisely
Choosing to ignore the value of consistency
Choosing not educate yourself consistently

Each day you are either making positive decisions that help your future, or making bad decisions that harm your future. Don’t underestimate the power of your conscious or conscious decisions. Think about your future today.

Gabe Arnold

Tagged with human interest …