We don’t reach our goals mostly because we don’t prioritize accountability for those goals. It’s really as easy as that. The struggle with achieving our goals lies in not creating accountability, not prioritizing or completing the actions that need to be taken, and not setting SMART goals. Get right with goal setting to avoid failures and find that you will achieve your goals!
As we cross the midpoint of the year, it’s an opportune time for business leaders and entrepreneurs to reflect on the progress of annual goals. Often, despite our best intentions, we find ourselves not where we hoped to be. This isn’t a signal of failure but rather a call to action. Let’s dissect common goal-setting missteps and explore strategies for recalibration and success in the remainder of the year.
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What You are Doing Wrong and How to Improve
Misstep 1: Overambitious Goals
The Challenge: In our zeal for achievement, we sometimes set goals that are too lofty, underestimating the resources, time, and the effort required. This can lead to frustration and burnout.
The Solution: Break down ambitious goals into smaller, manageable milestones. This makes progress more tangible and provides regular opportunities for celebration, which can be highly motivating. Use the SMART principle for setting goals.
Misstep 2: Vague Objectives
The Challenge: Goals like “increase business growth” or “improve customer satisfaction” are admirable but lack specificity. Without clear metrics, it’s challenging to measure progress. You need to know exactly what you’re setting so you can measure and celebrate it when it happens.
The Solution: Make your goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Instead of aiming to “increase business growth,” target a “10% revenue increase by Q4.” Make your goals as specific as possible, with real examples and what those examples mean to you. If your goal is to make more money, then you need to have the reason for making more money be a part of that. You need to make more money to provide for your family and help your parents retire early because your family needs a nice home and a comfortable life, and your parents took wonderful care of you over the years. Get specific and put some emotions in there.
Misstep 3: Neglecting Accountability
The Challenge: Without someone to hold us accountable, it’s easy to let our goals slip through the cracks, especially when other urgent tasks arise. Accountability is tough; not having a community to help us be accountable or an accountability partner can make accountability seem impossible, but it’s not.
The Solution: Establish a system of accountability. This could be a mentor, a business coach, or a peer accountability group, a person who’s your accountability partner is great. Regular check-ins on goal progress can significantly enhance your commitment and motivation. I’ve been traveling since 2016 and often out of communities for too long to maintain regular meetings to discuss accountability. What I’ve done to encourage myself is monthly check-ins on my goals.
When I was in sales in New York City, we had these weekly calls to go over improvements and opportunities. I do this for myself now with reviews, monthly, quarterly reviews, mid-year goal reviews, and end-of-year reviews, as well as the beginning of the year assessment on filling the gaps from what was missed the year before. In sales, we call this filling the delta; if my goal for 2024 was 100K in new monthly revenue and I only made 80K, then I will need to fill my 2025 goal with 20K extra to meet that delta. Ultimately, the more you think about your goals and push yourself, the more you will obtain those goals.
Misstep 4: Failing to Adapt
The Challenge: The business landscape is ever-changing, yet sometimes we cling to our original goals without considering evolving circumstances. Sometimes, we need to tweak our goals, and that’s okay. If you can’t do a specific project because of something uncontrollable, then get that goal off your list and find something to replace it with as soon as possible. Don’t hit your head against the wall trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
The Solution: Be flexible and willing to adjust your goals as needed. This doesn’t mean giving up at the first sign of trouble but recognizing when a shift in strategy is warranted. Regularly review your goals and the context in which you’re operating to determine if adjustments are necessary.
Misstep 5: Overlooking Reflection
The Challenge: We often forget to reflect on what’s working and what’s not. Without taking stock, we miss opportunities for learning and improvement, which are some major shortcuts. If you can get used to learning and improving, you will grow much faster.
The Solution: Schedule regular reflection periods to assess your progress towards your goals. Ask yourself what obstacles you’ve encountered, how you’ve addressed them, and what you can do differently moving forward. Think of improvement as often as you can set time for it. Systems and processes that can improve efficiency are developed through reflection.
Managing the Process
Goal achievement is not just about setting targets but also about managing the process. I’m big on processes; I find that tools and strategies to use those tools make it so much easier to keep on track. Here are a few strategies to ensure you stay on track:
- Use Technology: Leverage project management tools and applications that are designed to track goals and progress.
- Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize and celebrate each milestone to maintain motivation. You can do this weekly, it’s important to see small wins to encourage us to keep going towards our goals. Make the celebrations bigger for monthly goal achievement and even bigger for yearly. Don’t go spending a bunch of money if you don’t have it yet; make these celebrations realistic. However, I do know of an influencer who had a goal to buy a Hermes Birkin bag once she obtained her goal, and she was so cute showing it off when she hit that goal. Give yourself some rewards; it helps keep you motivated.
- Learn from Setbacks: Instead of getting discouraged by setbacks, view them as learning opportunities. Analyze what went wrong and how you can prevent similar issues from happening in the future. Then let it go; you don’t need to punish yourself for your mistakes. When I failed hard the first time, I was twenty-four, and it was really bad. I lost a whole team of salespeople and had to start over again. I couldn’t wait; I had to get back up and keep going, but I couldn’t. It was my fault; I made a series of silly mistakes and left them on their own. As a result, they failed and then left, but not before they all got together and had a negative fest without me because I was out of town, feeding my ego and being over-competitive.
The positive is that while I was feeding my ego, I trained a woman who became a dear friend. The negative is it took me three months before I could get back to building a team of salespeople. I punished myself for my mistakes by being depressed and sad and not selling anything. I was a mess. Don’t be like me; get back up and get back to work. No need to punish yourself.
To effectively manage goal setting and ensure accountability, leveraging technology can be a game-changer. Here are several types of technology services and specific tools that can help you stay on track with your goals:
Project Management Tools
- Asana, Notion, and Motion: Great for team projects, Asana allows you to set objectives, assign tasks, track progress, and set deadlines. It’s versatile for personal use and team collaborations and has features for setting milestones. Notion is similar, but with a whole lot of extra bells and whistles you can customize. Motion has AI features that help it stand out with automation. We have a Notion affiliate link and a Motion affiliate link.
- Monday.com is a highly customizable tool for managing more complex projects and goals. It offers automation, integration with other tools, and detailed progress tracking.
Goal Tracking Apps
- Goalsetter: A goal-setting app that allows you to set, track, and achieve personal and professional goals. It encourages setting SMART goals and provides reminders and progress updates.
- Strides: A versatile app that tracks anything from daily habits to annual goals. It allows you to set reminders and provides detailed reports on your progress.
Habit Trackers
- Habitica: Gamifies your goal and habit tracking by turning them into a role-playing game. Completing tasks and meeting goals helps you level up your character, making the process fun and engaging.
- Streaks: This app focuses on building streaks of consecutive days for habit formation. It’s simple but powerful for establishing daily routines that contribute to larger goals.
Time Management Tools
- RescueTime: RescueTime automatically tracks the time you spend on applications and websites, giving you an accurate picture of your day and helping you identify areas for improvement. Use our affiliate link to sign up.
- Focus@Will is a unique service that provides productivity-boosting music to help you focus and maintain your concentration on tasks for longer periods.
Financial Goal Trackers
- EveryDollar: For goals related to personal finance and budgeting, EveryDollar helps you track spending, create budgets, and set financial goals.
- You Need A Budget (YNAB): Another excellent tool for financial goal setting and budget management, emphasizing giving every dollar a job.
Health and Fitness Trackers
- MyFitnessPal: Tracks diet and exercise to determine optimal caloric intake and nutrients for the user’s goals.
- Strava: Ideal for fitness goals, especially running and cycling, Strava tracks your performance, allows you to set challenges, and connects you with a community for additional motivation.
These tools can help in different aspects of life, whether you’re aiming to improve your productivity, finances, health, or any other area. Use technology to enhance your ability to set clear targets, track progress, and hold yourself accountable, all of which are critical for achieving your goals.
When your mid-year review reveals you’re not as close to your goals as you’d hoped, don’t despair. This reflection point is a valuable opportunity to recalibrate and refine your approach. By recognizing and correcting common missteps, embracing accountability, and managing the goal-attainment process, you can set yourself up for success in the second half of the year and beyond. Use the tools mentioned above to help you keep on track, regularly review your goals, and keep a positive mindset. Remember, goal setting is not just about the destination but also about the journey. Subscribe for more business, sales, and investing posts. Have a lovely day.
