Everything that we do in life usually comes with some more thought or preconception of what we want to achieve. Be it going to shops or getting married, the goal is usually already an idea in our mind and then it’s a matter of time to execute the actions required to achieve it.
So it’s interesting to me how many business owners DO NOT have any solid goals in order to achieve their financial, marketing or sales objectives. In many cases just winging it. Now I’m all for being flexible and acting on a whim but for the majority of the time having a roadmap acts as a guide to keep you focused and on track towards what you’re wanting to achieve.
Here are the 3 keys you need to create a good roadmap that isn’t hard to follow and will get you to your end result.
1. Start with the end in mind – It’s important to get super clear about what the end goal looks like. Example: My good friend Steven Bock the 61st Australian to climb Mount Everest said that when he was in his 4 year training phase prior to the summit, every day he used to see himself in the last 10 meters of the summit, what it would be like, the temperature, the snow crackling under his boots, the feeling of achievement and so on. When he did summit he couldn’t believe how accurate he was and how the clarity he worked on for years drew him to the exact moment. So having a clear goal is 95% of the plan.
2. Set milestones along the way – 12 – 18 months can seem like an eternity on business and keep focused for that length of time can be literally impossible. The reason? Well, there are so many moving parts to try to cater for your willpower and focus can be all over the place. So I think of it like this: How do you eat an elephant? ( BTW don’t eat elephants they’re cool ) one mouthful at a time. What does this mean? it means in order to achieve a long-term, high-level goal, break it down into bite-size chunks with clear milestones along the way. This allows you achievable victories and a measured level of progress…small hurdles are heaps easier than large leaps.
3. What’s your plan B? – This sounds weird I know, but I can tell you with 1000% certainty that even the best plan is very rarely executed without any flaws or challenges that pop up. I always like to ensure that I have redundancy built into the plan itself and having an alternative way to execute the plan simply makes good sense. Hey if the worst thing is that you come out of it is that you figure out a better way to create your objective then I’m cool with that.
These 3 keys will get you closer to your objective. Having some type of guide/ plan to follow, test and measure on paper are 100 times better than having no plan or everything in your head. The most important part of this exercise is to have fun, be creative and think outside the box. As long as you achieve your outcome how you get there doesn’t really matter.
To learn more about how to get focused and on track towards what you’re wanting to achieve, book a discovery call or contact us at 1300 459 302 and get one on one advice from our business experts here at Upcoach.
