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Last month I wrote about the importance of goals, and how to develop a set of strategies, and from those strategies, create your action plan. I wanted to follow up that message this month with a crazy idea. Once you've developed the plan, Don't Focus on the Goal. I know, this seems ludicrous, but hear me out.
One of the problems many business owners have is that they continue to focus only on the goal, and see it as something they haven't achieved. And until it is achieved, that will be true; the goal has not been achieved. This can easily be misconstrued as "I don't have it, and I never will". So my thought for you is to have the goal fade a bit. Once the strategy has been set, and the actions around the strategy are in place, focus on the actions.
Here's an analogy. Take a 5 hour automobile ride anywhere with a 10 year old in the back seat. Those of us that have driven the family station wagon from New England to the beaches in the Carolinas know this all too well. Every few minutes will come the one question from the back seat that makes us cringe: "Are we THERE YET?" How easily that 10 year old becomes a business owner who brings the "Are We There Yet" question right along.
A friend of mine showed me his new GPS system in his car. He could set the destination, tell the GPS to figure out how to get there, and what came next were turn by turn instructions. My friend took me for a ride using the new system. Before each turn a voice would come from the machine: "Turn left in 400 feet." "Turn left now." It was simply amazing. All my friend had to do was follow the instructions. If he missed a turn (which he did on purpose), the machine said: "Off course. Recalculating. Go straight for 2 miles then turn right."
Wouldn't it be nice to have such a machine in our business? To know that we've charted a course that will not fail? To know that if we're off course that the appropriate actions will be taken to get us back on track? That something will remind us of where we're going, and that the path has already been determined, all we have to do is follow it?
Guess what was just introduced? That's right... The Business GPS Version 1.0. It's amazing. Its gleaming new technology is a wonder to behold. Simply put in the place that you want your business to go, and VOILA, out comes a set of turn by turn instructions to get there! Business owners can't wait to get their hands on it!
Where do you get this wonderful machine? Not by mail. You can't download the software from the internet. You can't go to a store and find it on a shelf. Its already in your head. That's right. Its called a PLAN, and we discussed it last month. Here's all it takes: Figure out where you want your business to go. I call that creating your vision. Next, determine the strategies that you're going to use. Put a timeframe on them and you've got a PLAN. Implement the strategies in this plan and you'll get to your destination. If you're having trouble creating this plan, you're not alone. Most business owners have never had a concrete plan for their business. Don't fret. Give me a call. Helping business owners create their vision, brainstorming on strategies, and implementing the actions that we've discussed is exactly what I do for clients every day.
Till next time...
Jerry
Copyright 2004 Jerry Wistrom and All Out Coaching, LLC All rights reserved. |
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