Setting goals, both personal and business, plays a crucial role in achieving success and fulfilment. The start of a new year provides a great opportunity to reflect on the year just passed, celebrate the successes and achievements and then start a fresh year with some written goals. I have been practising this process for as long as I can remember. I truly believe it helps with clarity, motivation and personal and professional growth.
For many clients, 2024 will be year to forget. Having said this, there will be plenty to celebrate. Aspects, like water use efficiency of crops and the fact there hasn’t been any significant soil erosion, need to be celebrated. Despite the year, setting goals is a positive process that doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. They could include practical goals like tidying up the office and workshop, reading, some simple development projects, getting fitter, improving work life balance, holiday activities for 2025, improving record keeping or educating and training the team etc.
The process I like to follow is outlined below:
- Inform the family/team that we would like to convene a meeting to reflect on 2024 and then develop some goals for 2025.
- Set the culture/tone for the meeting. Particularly reinforce it is a safe place, and no ideas will be discounted.
- Spent some time reflecting on 2024. Ask the questions; what went well and what could we have done better? List the responses on a piece of paper.
- Sometimes developing a SWOT analysis, identifying the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, can also inform the 2025 goals.
- List 3-5 goals for the business.
- List 3-5 goals for the family.
- List 3-5 goals for yourself.
- Some of these goals maybe aspirational, and that is fine.
- Once the goals have been written down, think about what behaviour change is required to achieve the goal. A 1% shift in behaviour can have a huge impact on goal achievement.
- Also think about what system is required to support the goal. James Clear is the author of the book, “Atomic Habits”. I love his quote, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems”.
- Also think about identity-based change. If your goal is about fitness, start thinking and behaving like an athlete… if the goal is about tidying up the office, start thinking and behaving like an efficient and effective business owner etc, etc
- Find a coach. This could be someone from within or outside the business. A coach will assist you with the identity-based behaviour change. They can also assist with overcoming barriers.
- Set some dates in the calendar to check in on progress either with yourself or your coach.
- Celebrate when the goal has been achieved.
This is a simple process that can result in cost effective goals that can enhance efficiency, productivity and wellbeing. If this topic is of interest, I would recommend buying James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits. (maybe ask for it for Christmas…). If reading is not your thing, then google the 2-part series where Brene Brown interviews James Clear. It is good stuff.