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Use This Simple Time Tested Process And Move Your Business

Article:

Another year is just about ready to finish and it is time to

start thinking about next year. If you own your own business or

you manage a business division, then you need to ask yourself if

all of the expectations that were set forth at the beginning of

the year were met. If not then maybe what stopped you was a lack

of goals and objectives, or just a lack of a good process to use

when planning them. The goal setting process is essential to the

success or failure of the business, and many careers have

derailed due to a lack of them. Goals and objectives apply to

everyone involved.

Being a business owner or a manager implies an inherent

responsibility to insure plans are worked on, followed through

on, and accomplished. The process that is used can and will

determine whether or not you will finish the year with your hat

in hand, or be congratulated for a job well done.

If you are a business manager, you were given a mission

statement by the organization. This mission statement is the

overarching goal of the organization. It does not tell you how

it will be done. It just implies that it "is" done. It is your

job to determine what resources you will need in order to make

them come to fruition.

If you are the owner of the business, then you either have a

business plan and or a mission statement. You should have both.

Take this information and begin to formulate the things that

need to be accomplished, the time period in which they need to

be accomplished and by whom they need to be accomplished by.

This is goal setting. Understanding and expressing "what" needs

to be done, "why" it needs to be done, "when' it needs to be

done, and finally, "how" it will be done is the goal setting

scenario. Goals should be just beyond your reach. Just past your

fingertips. If they are too far out there, you will not reach

them and will become disappointed. Too close, and they will not

be worthwhile at advancing your company or your career.

Start using the SMAC method in setting goals and objectives and

always remember goals and objectives are not one in the same,

though many people think they are. Goals are where you want to

end up. Objectives are the steps to get there.

S stands for Specific. Make the goal as specific as possible.

Stating a goal that says you want more customers is not

specific. How many more customers? More customers than when? If

you state you want more customers, then getting one customer

today is more customers. This is not a goal, it is a hope. To be

more specific, simply state that you want to increase your

customer base for the first quarter of next year by 20% over

your first quarter in the previous year. If you know what that

number needs to be, that is even better.

M stands for Measurable. The goal must be measurable otherwise,

how will you know if you are making progress? How will you know

if you have accomplished the goal if it cannot be measured?

Anything that is specific enough can be measured. The

measurement method may take you some time to work up, but it can

be measured if it is specific.

In the example above, if we stated we want more customers. Can

you measure that? Now look at the rewrite: increase customer

base for the first quarter of next year by 20% over the first

quarter of the previous year. Can this be measured? Of course it

can. Your goals need to be fluid enough that you can tweak them,

make small adjustments here and there as needed in order to

insure they are accomplished. Again, if you are the manager or

the owner, you need to have a method that you will be able to

periodically check the goals to make sure you are on track.

A stands for Achievable. Is the goal achievable by you or

whoever needs to accomplish it? To say you want to triple your

businesses income in the next 3 months is probably not

achievable. Oh, you may hit the lottery or sell your business,

but most likely, the goal of tripling your income over the next

3 months is more of a dream than it is a goal.

If you were to state that you want to increase your businesses

income by 10% over the next 3 months you have a more achievable

goal. It is just beyond your reach, can be measured and is

achievable by means that you have or knowledge you can go and

get. Another words, the learning curve is not going to be

straight up in order for you to accomplish this.

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C stands for Consistent. Is the goal consistent with the

business plan and or the mission statement? If it is not, then

achieving the goal will not move you, the business, or your

career forward. And after all, isn't moving forward what it's

all about? Make sure you set the goal consistent with the

overall plans. To have a plan to have the best customer service

response in your industry and then setting a goal to respond to

customer inquiries in 7 business days or less, certainly does

not seem to be consistent. A goal of responding to customer

inquiries within 12 hours would be more consistent with the

overarching plan.

Set a timeframe that you will accomplish the goal. By setting a

timeframe you instill a sense of urgency that it needs to be

paid attention to and accomplished. If you don't set a timeline,

then there will be a tendency to put it off, or start it at a

later date. The goal will not seem as important.

Set goals with the people that work for you. In order for you to

get more done as the owner or the manager, your people need to

be advancing the organization as well. Teach them this process.

Take the time and work with them to set 3 or 4 goals that will

make them stretch their abilities. It will help improve them and

the company at the same time. And don't forget the most

important part of working with your people: Following up. By

having goals that you helped them to create and they

participated in, you can step in at frequent intervals, measure

the progress of the goals and discuss with them what challenges

they are having and how to resolve them in order to successfully

complete the goals.

When 2006 is over, your business or career will have advanced

and you will be proud of your accomplishments knowing that it

didn't just happen by chance, but by good planning and

execution.

About the author:

Michael Ochoa is a businessman and operates several websites. As

a Success Coach he helps people succeed. Michael has worked in

professional management for over 25 years and operates

http://www.macs-teakfurniture.com, a website specializing in

high quality teak outdoor furniture and garden ornaments.