Do you own a business or own a job? Are you directing your business? In order to do so, you need to know where your business is heading, and where you want it to go. Simply put, without a clear vision or set of goals in business, your business will run you, instead of you running your business.
At ActionCOACH Kansas City we believe that the right mindset and attitude are foundational to developing effective time management habits and disciplines. We understand that many people feel overwhelmed because they haven’t established these basic disciplines. Once you are determined and make a conscious decision to take control of your time, you’ll be ready to embrace the key disciplines and tools of effective time management. Like any learned habit, mastering time management is a step-by-step process that takes a commitment.
Another critical component of effective time management is having a clear vision. Many small business owners become entrepreneurs because they are good at a skill. Or an opportunity fell into place at the right time. But a good skill set does not necessarily transfer over into ownership skills. If you are uncertain about the vision or purpose of your business, talk to a business coach, or those you are close to, to define it.
Vision can be defined as your ideal state—whether in life, business, career, or otherwise—over the next 10, 20, 30 years, and beyond. You should be able to visualize this vision with absolute clarity and describe it in precise detail. The clearer your vision, the more motivated you will be.
This clear vision will guide you in determining what needs to be done today to achieve your desired outcomes tomorrow. Once you’ve established a clear vision, it’s crucial to develop the goals that will help you achieve it. While vision is the destination, goals are the short- and long-term milestones along the way.
Here’s a simple yet effective process for setting goals:
- Decide exactly what you want.
Be SPECIFIC and write it down. The act of writing down a goal significantly increases the likelihood of achieving it. - Make your goals MEASURABLE.
Your goals should have clear metrics. For example, instead of saying, “become the best salesperson,” make it measurable by stating, “I will achieve $1,000,000 in gross sales revenue, helping me reach the top sales position in the company.” . - Set a deadline for your goals.
This helps overcome procrastination and keeps you on track. - Make a list.
Write down everything you need to do to achieve each goal, including activities, strategies, decisions, and milestones. These should be ATTAINABLE, not pie in the sky, stuff. - Develop an action plan and take immediate action.
From your list of activities, create a plan and commit to doing something every day that brings you closer to your goals. Clearly written goals will have a powerful impact on your thinking and will motivate you to take action. Your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) should be clear so you know exactly what RESULTS you intend to achieve. - Set a Timeline to reach your goal. Without a timeline, your goal is a wish, a dream, something that you can’t be held accountable to. Make yourself accountable to yourself.
Own your business, don’t let it own you. Get clear vision and goals with ActionCOACH Kansas City!
At ActionCOACH Kansas City we offer quarterly events, GrowthCLUB, to help in goal setting. We encourage our clients to look at their overall goals for one year, and break them down into quarterly and monthly goals. Once those are broken down, you can begin making a plan to achieve your goals on a week-to-week basis. What our business coaches refer to as a 90 Day Plan.
