It’s 2018, a new year, and that’s a great time to re-evaluate and make some goals for your business. But how will you make those goals, and more importantly, how will you put yourself on the right path to achieving those goals? This month, we’re taking you through how to make SMART goals for your business, and then a few tips on how to go about tackling those goals.
2 min read
You might’ve heard about making SMART goals before - i.e. goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. If you haven’t, don’t worry - this infographic should help:
Making goals that adhere to the SMART principles is the first step towards achieving your goals. Have you got a big vision for your business? Well if you can break that vision down using SMART, then you’ll be able to provide a realistic starting point.
Once you’ve got your goal(s) worked out, it’s time to make those goals happen. A good place to start is by breaking your vision down even further. Turn your goals into smaller actionable steps using an action plan. This is going to outline exactly how you’re going to achieve your goals to keep you on track and so you can measure your success through the achievement of these smaller goals.
Once you’re on your way and working through your action plan, check in often to make sure you’re on track. It’s very easy to lose focus or deviate slightly from your original plan. If you revisit your action plan as you go, then you’ll be less likely to lose track of what you wanted to achieve.
Having said that, the key to achieving your business goals is flexibility. Things change all the time, things that you thought would work a certain way might not work that way at all when you’re trying to make it happen. If you are flexible and recognise when it’s time to rethink what you’re doing, you can modify your action plan and refocus on your goals.
It’s important not to get too bogged down with the smaller goals in your action plan. Keep looking at the big picture - your great vision for your business - and use that as motivation to keep achieving your goals and to give direction when your action plan needs to be modified.