Well, here we are, December has started and it’s less than a month until we start e new year. Do you have a plan for 2013?
My wife and I are both working on business plans for next year and were recently having a conversation on what things were working well. As we were discussing these things, I realized that the WHY these things are working is way more important than the mere fact that they are.
Here is my point and my concern. When we are successful and don’t understand why, we run the risk of losing whatever it is that has produced that success. If you had an outstanding year last year but don’t really understand why, how do you plan for having a successful year in 2013?
Unless you are paying someone to develop your business plan and hold you accountable to following it, you are on your own. There is no ‘lifeguard on duty” so you better have a plan such that you can see the results and know if you are on track or not.
For me, the simplest approach for developing a plan to the S.M.A.R.T. system to reaching goals. Any business plan with include a number of items with expected outcomes. An expected outcome is really nothing more than a goal. I know I wrote about this in October but I think this is huge as we move towards planning for next year.
If you have already used the SMART system, conquered the world and have the rest of your life planned out, you can quit reading now. If not, here is the SMART way that I have found to reach those goals:
SPECIFIC
Make your goal specific. Doing a certain dollar volume of business is not specific. How many clients per month and how much per client is much more specific. The key to succeeding in a goal depends on the effort that we put into defining it and the development of a plan that will work.
MEASURABLE
Make it measurable. ”I am going to contact two new potential clients today off the list that I have already created.” These are very specific and can be measured very simply and accurately.
ACHIEVABLE
Make your goal something you can actually achieve. Goals are great and we all need them, but if they are unattainable, our probability of success will make it difficult to be successful.
REALISTIC
Make your goals realistic. Develop a written step by step plan on how to reach the goal. If you can’t write out the steps to get there, you may need to change your goal. If you can write out the plan, anything is possible.
TIME-BOUNDED
Put a time limit on your goal. It makes it much easier to make sure you are on schedule to achieve your goal. How can you really be successful at reaching your goal if there is no deadline for it.
I wish for everyone to have a successful 2013, but honestly, that is all it is – a wish. We need to be intentional about our planning and have someone keeping us accountable.
Make 2013 your best year yet by putting together a plan that will allow you to do it.
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Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 12/3/12 photo by author
