How has 2011 been for you? Have you achieved what you set out to achieve 12 months ago?
What do you plan to do in 2012 and beyond to raise your game and reach a higher level of success?
The New Year is always a great time to reflect on where you are currently, the challenges that lie ahead and where you would like to be in the future.
As you look forward to 2012 and beyond, rather than starting with 12 month goals, try looking further into the future to where you would like to be in 3, 4 or 5 years. This is all around establishing a clear vision for the future.
It is commonly said that one of the factors that determine the success or failure of a business, is whether there is a clear picture of where the business is going in the longer term. So it is important to work on this first for you and your business.
Your goals and targets should fit with this picture and should form part of the milestones and stepping stones on the journey to where you truly want to be in life and in business.
Vision:
In establishing your longer term vision, you must challenge yourself and ask yourself some big questions. Here are some examples to prompt you and get you thinking about the direction you and your business should be going long term.
- What are the 5 things you value most in life and work?
- What would you do if you won £1M?
- What would you aspire to if you or your business had no limitations?
- What have you always wanted to do but have been afraid of doing?
- Throughout your life, what has given you the greatest self esteem and sense of pride?
- What does long term success really look like for you and your business?
- What would you want as the legacy for you and your business?
Once you have a clearer view of the longe term picture, it is time to set goals for the next 12 months.
Goals:
When setting your goals for 2012, make sure that they fit in with the longer term vision of where you truly want to be.
Work through the different aspects of your life and/or business and decide which areas are in need of the most focus and create specific goals for these areas.
Write your goals as though you are actually experiencing the realisation of your goal in the future and imagine what you would be feeling and what you would be doing when you are living within your goal at the end of 2012.
When setting your goals in the various areas of your life and business, make sure each goal is :
- Specific – it is clear what is to be achieved
- Measurable – it can be broken down into chunks in a plan
- Evidential – there will be clear objective evidence when you reach the end
- Realistic – it is not reliant on external factors but on yourself and your employees to make it happen
- Time Based – you need to set a time boundary of typically 12 months
- Inspirational– it truly inspires you and others around you
- Emotional – it is emotionally in tune with where you and others want to be
I also recommend that you create shorter term 90 day goals to ensure real focus in those key areas. This will also create increased motivation as you experience the results on the journey, by achieving those shorter term goals.
If you want to kick start your year, contact me to book a “complimentary business development meeting” or join me at a free event to “discover the 5 critical strategies to grow your business in 2012” (Jan 13 and Jan 20 at 9.30 am in Ruddington)
Very useful, has come just as I was starting to think about service planning for the next couple of years. I’m going to use the big questions to challenge myself and my team to really think about what success looks like for us and get some real innovation going – and show it can be done even in the public sector!