Setting and Achieving Goals
Quarter(Q) 1 down and 3 more to go, can you believe it?! As a leadership team at Joe Taylor Restoration, we just wrapped up our meetings discussing Q1 and planning for Q2, and were all bewildered at how fast the first 3 months flew by. Thankfully, we had a great plan going into the year and executed on that plan daily. We focused intentionally on the drivers that would move the business forward and proudly achieved our Q1 goals.
So many people I talk to get “caught off guard” by the speed at which time moves. And at the end of the month, quarter or year, look back and wonder what happened and “where did the time go?” As a team, we have been reviewing and setting quarterly and annual goals for many years now. And what we have learned is that breaking those goals down into weekly and even daily habits is where the magic happens.
I once had a professional athlete tell me, “practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.” And he was right. We need to do the small things consistently well over time to produce meaningful results. Surges in “motivation” propel us forward but the small actions done daily (discipline) is how we achieve lasting, significant results that don’t lead to burnout.
In addition to our quarterly and annual meetings, we meet as a leadership team once a week for 2 hours (if necessary) to review the previous weeks metrics, how we are performing Quarter To Date, and if there are any issues in the business that need to be addressed. We also have one-on-ones, where I meet for 30 minutes with each department head to check in and discuss any roadblocks that need to be removed from their path. Leaders should not only have a pulse on each person that reports to them, but should also be coaching them toward their goals and removing roadblocks as they arise.
How are you doing with setting goals? Does your team/company consistently achieve those goals? Do you have a pulse on your business/team? Do you meet regularly?
If you answered “no” to any of those questions, I highly recommend Traction by Geno Wickman, and Scaling Up by Verne Harnish. They outline nicely some of the items discussed above. With some intentionality, we can all avoid the “caught off guard, where did the time go,” and instead set and achieve some pretty amazing goals both personally and as an organization.
-Written by Aaron Getty, President, Joe Taylor Restoration
