Defining Holistic Goals & Objectives for Your Business

Personal resolutions are the focal point of the new year. For businesses, the first quarter of the new year is a great time for goal setting—creating objectives that are measurable, actionable, and will drive forward motion.

Companies that successfully attain their goals break them down into manageable chunks that, once completed, can be checked off and used to support the next step.

So how do you know if you’re ready to move onto the next step?

The key is to use a reasonable measurement. For example, having a general goal of increasing sales and closing more business is too vague and not specific enough. By adding a measure to a goal, it immediately becomes actionable. With specificity and measurability, your goal is transformed into something like increase sales by 10% and add 2 new accounts to the book of business that will generate X dollars in revenue.

Establishing metrics naturally progresses into the conversation of how a goal can be achieved. For example, you can increase sales in a variety of ways. Do you want to hire 10 more salespeople who increase total sales by 1% each? Probably not. While you’d meet your sales objective, you’d likely undo any staffing objectives at the same time. It is imperative that goals and objectives do not undermine each other. 

Goals and objectives need to be set in a holistic way across the business so that there are no direct conflicts—and this vision must be coordinated at the top of the company. 

I help business leaders capture a panoramic view of their company so that goals and objectives are productively developed and rolled out. A business that stands still will not survive competition; refreshed targets will propel forward momentum and support business growth.  

Contact me today to get started planning your new year’s goals and objectives!

Where Business Leaders Get Stuck & How to Progress Onward

There's an old adage that says, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This well-known phrase is poorly applied to business. What should a business owner do if the “it” is not broken per se, but merely status quo? 

Many small businesses can get stuck in old patterns that—at one point—were keys to success. While the initial game plan may have resulted in achieved goals, it may no longer lead to growth. Despite this, business owners struggle to embrace and implement new formulas. 

For example, I worked with a very efficient team at a small company. As the company personnel grew and the business scaled, productivity within the group did not grow at the same rate—clients were no longer interested in working with them. 

This was largely due to the fact that the manager (who was once a rock star) had turned into a bottleneck. When the team was small, she was able to be very hands-on—but that model was no longer viable once the business started to grow and volume increased. 

What is Holding You Back? 

I find that business owners often are hesitant to make a change due to their: 

(a) egos (“What do you mean I can’t do it all?”); and

(b) superstitions (“I don’t want to change the formula that made us successful in the first place”). 

Business leaders must take a moment to regularly evaluate the needs of the business. This starts with an honest conversation about issues that need to be addressed and problems that need to be solved. 

When working with any company, I almost always act as a feedback collector. By speaking with stakeholders or using anonymous surveys, I glean important information and can pinpoint trouble spots. If possible, I support the need for examination of these areas with objective data as well. 

With comprehensive information about the company’s needs and a collaborative approach, I team up with the business leader—linking the recommendations to his or her foundational goal of helping the company succeed. 

Business leaders are more receptive to adaptation and change when he or she feels ownership over the changes—and this is where I can help! 

Contact me today to talk about the needs of your business and which tasks I can take off your plate so you can focus on the big picture!