Creating Your #1 Goal With A Pinnacle Business Guide

Climbing a mountain may be the ultimate metaphor for business growth. As a founding member of the Pinnacle Business Guides, I know that the aim of the model we created was to help business owners and their teams define the journey to reach their PINNACLE (or what we refer to as your #1 Goal). Rather than use a one-size-fits-all approach when implementing an operating system, we recommend working with a Pinnacle Guide who understands your company’s needs and guides you along your journey. Do you know the route? Have you packed the right tools? Have you assembled the best team?

Guides have a wealth of experience and knowledge. We have grown businesses ourselves and helped countless business teams successfully. We become part of your leadership team, bringing you world-class, customized operating tools. In other words, we are “Sherpa guides” with deep knowledge of the path to the symbolic mountain pinnacle, equipped with ways to navigate any inclement conditions that may inhibit swift climbing and growth.?

Why Have A #1 Goal?

Your #1 Goal is a key part of a company’s strategic vision. You set it and track towards it by executing on your plan quarter by quarter. It’s imperative that it is clear.?

A growing and profitable business is built on the key elements highlighted in the Pinnacle Model: People + Purpose + Playbook + Performance = Profit

• People — Culture and productivity
• Purpose — Align on who you are and where you are going (your #1 Goal)
• Playbook — Execute at the highest level to ensure you achieve your vision
• Performance — Measure progress by clearly defining metrics and milestones

Famous Examples of #1 Goals

Some examples of #1 Goals include those of JFK’s Moon Challenge, Microsoft, Amazon and Google.?

• JFK. “This nation should commit before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”?
• Microsoft. “A computer on every desk and in every home.” (Took 40 years)
• Amazon. “Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”
• Google. “Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Pinnacle Guides help you to crystallize your #1 Goal, then create alignment to it. It's a methodology we use that can be applied to any business.?

Guidelines for Creating Your Own #1 Goals

You really need to do the work when it comes to creating a Vision that is clear and strong. Our method involves asking questions such as the following:

• Where do you see your company in 10-30 years? What would the business revenue look like at this time if you reached your pinnacle?
• What would you dare to dream if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you could not fail? Why is this so important?
• What type of #1 Goal is right for your company? Is it quantitative, qualitative, competitive, demonstrative or transformative?
• How can you craft your goal so that it sounds inspirational to your team?

These questions are a great starting point for creating a #1 Goal and answering them can be an inspiring process. The real value lies in the alignment it creates and how it motivates your employees.?

Uses Of A #1 Goal

A fundamental step in your company’s journey to its pinnacle is the creation of your Company Strategic Vision and Execution Plan – a long-term (10-30 year) vision of your company’s future. As Guides, we draw inspiration for this concept from the BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal) concept developed by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in an article written for Harvard Business Review.

According to the BHAG creators, your #1 Goal is:?

“Clear and compelling, serves as a unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a catalyst for team spirit. It has a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines. A BHAG engages people — it reaches out and grabs them. It is tangible, energizing, highly focused. People get it right away; it takes little or no explanation.” (pg. 9 HBR September-October 1996 Building Your Company’s Vision)

These #1 Goals tend to attract, motivate and resonate with your team — a big prize they can’t quite imagine attaining. The goal needs to be important enough that your people will be compelled to continue pursuing the aim, even when the “going gets tough.” In other words, the #1 Goal is a “rallying cry.”?

Benefits of #1 Goals and Next Steps

Creating your goal may seem like a daunting task, however, crafting a vivid description is fundamental to reaching your pinnacle as it creates alignment within your company. Defining your goal and working with a guide will enable you to focus on the capabilities you will need (and won’t need) to reach the vision, while also creating emotional motivation for everyone in the company.

If you’re interested in looking at the Pinnacle model to support you in growing your business, reach out to [email protected]. I provide a free strategic workshop where I’ll teach you and your team some of the fundamentals we use to guide and support growing businesses to reach their PINNACLE.?