by Rick Baker
On Feb 3, 2012
Do you regularly achieve the business goals you set?
If you do then Great! You are among the Highly Successful minority.
If you do not regularly achieve your business goals then this Thought Post provides some ideas that will help you if you take heed and then take Action.
Write down your goals.
Every business guru will tell you that. Business gurus have been telling business leaders that for at least 100 years. For at least 50 years, reputable scientific studies confirm it is sound advice....when you write down your goals you increase the likelihood you will achieve them.
Yet, most people do not write down their goals. And, based on what we have seen during our interviews of 400 businesses, very few people - I mean, very few people - write down goals in a manner that maximizes the likelihood of achieving the desired future results.
The method for setting MAXIMIZER GOALS is simple. And, it really isn't that time-consuming. Yet, for a number of reasons, people avoid it. It boils down to a matter of discipline.
We are living through a business era where discipline is being tested to its limits...and, more often than not, discipline is failing the test.
Inject some discipline into your business processes.
Inject some goal-setting discipline.
There are simple tools for goal setting. Spirited Leaders offers a number of free tools. Here are links to a couple of our 1-Page Tools: SMART Goals and SMARTACRE Goals.
Footnote:
Here's a link to Brian Tracy's 2010 book - GOALS! In this book he provides his thoughts about
"7 Keys to Goal Setting:
- Goals must be clear, specific, detailed, and written down
- Goals must be measurable and objective
- Goals must be time bounded
- Goals must be challenging
- Goals must be congruent with your values and in harmony with each other
- Goals must be balanced
- You must have a definite purpose for your life"
by Rick Baker
On Feb 2, 2012
Thought Tweet #404 If you could only build one thing, what would it be?
The Thinking Behind the Tweet
For leaders, this question can be a reality check. After all - deep down - doesn't every leader and every aspiring leader want to build something?
by Rick Baker
On Feb 2, 2012
INITIATE.
Few people excel at it.
Why?
Probably because, at some point in their lives, they embraced once-burned-twice-shy thinking. Or maybe they succumbed to the criticism of some well-meaning authority figure.
Really, it doesn't matter why many people struggle to INITIATE.
What matters is, regardless of the past, people can learn how to overcome their reluctance to INITIATE.
Here are a couple of suggestions on how to help people INITIATE:
- Understand, at least, the basics about the human brain. Understand the executive functions of the brain1. Understand, INITIATE is one of the executive functions. For the most part, our brains operate along habit lines. INITIATE can be a habit. Or, it can not be a habit. That's a matter of choice. Like any other habit, it takes time to build the INITIATE habit.
- Give yourself an INITIATE pep talk...or, better still, let Seth Godin2 give you an INITIATE pep talk. Check out his recent audio-book 'Poke The Box'. In this book, Seth champions a new way to do business under 7 Imperatives3. Seth puts INITIATIVE at the top of the list of his 7 Imperatives.
And, of course, practice INITIATIVE...focus...think...make decisions...take
Actions.
Sure, you will make more mistakes...that's the way to learn.
INITIATE: that INSPIRES people!
Footnotes:
- A link to an article about Executive BrainSmartsTM INITIATE.
- A link to Seth Godin's video-introduction to his 2011 book 'Poke The Box'
- Seth Godin's 7 Imperatives: (1) Be aware of the Market, (2) Be Educated, (3) Be Connected so People Trust you, (4) Be Consistent, (5) Build an Asset, (6) Be Productive, & most-important (7) Take INITIATIVE.