Action setting: Target your Alignment

Another quarter down – has anything been achieved?

Sitting at my desk reviewing targets from another speedy quarter, I’m pleased to see continued growth in some areas, and some where I have tripped over my own feet. What has been the difference between success and failure in these different areas? This is where I reflect on a good target setting, and corresponding actions for the upcoming quarter.

The key takeaway for last quarter - it’s easy to forget the big picture and forget about being dedicated to working ON the business not just IN the business.

As a small business it is easy to overcomplicate action setting to achieve growth targets. More importantly, it is human nature to drastically overestimate what can be achieved in a short timeframe e.g., one month. On the long-distance side, we frequently underestimate what can be achieved over a 10-year timeframe with disciplined thought, action and teamwork. If you think that isn’t the case then consider where you were in life 10 years ago, and what has happened since first setting up your enterprise.

If you’re struggling with action setting to achieve your growth targets, my advice is to always keep it simple.

Follow this 5-step process and you will be under way. Remember that with targeting, progress beats perfection every day of the week – not just Monday to Friday but Sunday to Saturday!

1.?????? Consider your long-term goals

Firstly, consider what the existence of your enterprise is aiming to achieve. Are you in it to change lives? Inspire action? Create the greatest surfboard the Pacific Ocean has seen? Or open a chain of coffee shops? By understanding your macro view it will help prioritise your action and put importance behind your action matrix (step 3).

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2.?????? Be real about your Timeframes

Without dedicated timeframes, it’s easy to slip into complacency and not take your actions seriously. Regardless of the timeframe you give your targets, they will naturally fill the amount of time available (remember cramming for exams?). When considering where you’re going to focus your attention be realistic about the time required. As a rule, I double my initial gut feel for timeframe to account for distractions, urgent fires and general office life.

3.?????? Be Presidential and harness Rockefeller

The Rockefeller Matrix is all about Urgency and Importance. Not every action is necessarily ‘Important’ (i.e. will the world fall apart if not done?) and too often actions are perceived as ‘Urgent’ by external pressures from the outside world. By understanding the relationship of where you dedicate your time and attention, progress is almost guaranteed. As per point two – spend time making sure the ‘Important’ tasks get their fair share of attention, before they turn into ‘Urgent’ tasks hurting your enterprise. Importance should also be given to strategically important actions to your enterprise. My general rule is that 20% of your week goes towards these ‘Important’ tasks.

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4.?????? Write down and keep track of your targets

By writing down your targets you not only keep track of actions, but more importantly accountability is brought into focus. We live in a distracted world and all too often there is another activity that wants to take your focus from what really pushes your enterprise forward. By keeping track and accountability for your targets and associated actions you start to build a habit of results-based actions.

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And the last but most significant........

5.?????? DO IT!

The most imperative part of target achievement. After understanding your long-term vision, being realistic about your timeframes, understanding what is not just urgent but also important and having these all written down and accountable, the final step is to DO IT! Remember to be realistic about what you can achieve and build up the habit of success over time, committing to yourself that you can achieve targets and potentially further still – making what seems impossible, possible.

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Creating the right list of action points is not about having 100 + actions or delegating every task so you have an empty page (although I have yet to find a founder like this). There is a continual balancing act making sure you’re focusing your attention in the right way and progressing down the road to your ultimate vision. ?

Success is close to guaranteed by building on your self-belief through a culture of disciplined thought, disciplined team and disciplined action.

Happy targeting!