The Value of Setting Goals
Ok, so I've been a slacker on this blog. I've been spending much of my free time on the golf course. As I mentioned before, it has become my drug of choice - can't get enough of it. But when I thought about it, golf has taught me a very valuable lesson: The Power of Setting Realistic, Achievable Goals. I started this year shooting a 150 (not taking any mulligans, counting swings and misses, counting every singles HORRIBLE shot) - pretty standard score for me before this year. That's playing once every other year.
Well, I'm now living in Delaware, which means that there is nothing for me to do BUT play golf. Golf was always an activity that I've wanted to improve my skills in and this was my chance. I set as a goal for myself breaking 100 for 18 holes before the end of this year. That would be a 50 stroke improvement from the beginning of the year. The beauty of golf is that here are SOOOOO many ways to improve. In setting my goal, I realized that the biggest areas which were keeping me from my goal were my putting, my wedge game, and my iron consistency. What have I done? I've read articles on the internet, attended clinics lessons, gone on YouTube to improve these areas of my game - and they have improved dramatically. Last week I shot a 106 - almost there...in a few short months.
How does this apply to business? You have to have goals. If you have no goals, you have no direction. If your company's goal is to hit $2 million in revenue, you are forced to figure out a way to get there and then develop a plan to do so. Your plan might be to get two new $500,000 clients to get the necessary revenue to reach your goal. You are then forced to come up with a plan to obtain two new $500,000 clients. How are you going to prospect for these clients? Which companies are large enough to BE $500,000 clients?
I love golf - there I said it. I'm addicted to it and I need help with my addiction. But golf has made me realize that power of setting realistic, achievable goals. Without goals, there is no plan. Without a plan, there is no progress.
Well, I'm now living in Delaware, which means that there is nothing for me to do BUT play golf. Golf was always an activity that I've wanted to improve my skills in and this was my chance. I set as a goal for myself breaking 100 for 18 holes before the end of this year. That would be a 50 stroke improvement from the beginning of the year. The beauty of golf is that here are SOOOOO many ways to improve. In setting my goal, I realized that the biggest areas which were keeping me from my goal were my putting, my wedge game, and my iron consistency. What have I done? I've read articles on the internet, attended clinics lessons, gone on YouTube to improve these areas of my game - and they have improved dramatically. Last week I shot a 106 - almost there...in a few short months.
How does this apply to business? You have to have goals. If you have no goals, you have no direction. If your company's goal is to hit $2 million in revenue, you are forced to figure out a way to get there and then develop a plan to do so. Your plan might be to get two new $500,000 clients to get the necessary revenue to reach your goal. You are then forced to come up with a plan to obtain two new $500,000 clients. How are you going to prospect for these clients? Which companies are large enough to BE $500,000 clients?
I love golf - there I said it. I'm addicted to it and I need help with my addiction. But golf has made me realize that power of setting realistic, achievable goals. Without goals, there is no plan. Without a plan, there is no progress.
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