Strategic Goal Setting Will Help You Get Through The Tough Times!

As we approach the end of the year, naturally we begin to review the events of the year as well as think ahead to the upcoming year. I think that most of us would agree that 2009 has had its set of challenges. The economy has been tough! Personally, when I launched my business full time in January, I had contracts set that would have made it my best year ever. However, as you might be able to guess, that is not what occurred!
I experienced such challenges as contracts being cut and scheduled classes being cancelled (sometimes with only 24 to 48 hours notice!), resulting of course in reduced income. Then in keeping with Murphy’s Law… “If anything can go wrong it will” the sump pump on my property went out and needed to be replaced, the dryer broke and had to be replaced, and then of course there was the skateboarding accident with my 10 year old, when she cracked her two front teeth! So needless to say this has been a tough year. It’s tough to keep to a planned budget when your income drops and your expenses increase!

My strategy for surviving these challenges has been to keep my eye on my main goal “to grow my business and provide value driven service” (this is driven in part by the desire to feed the children and keeping the lights on, in the roof over our head). I have managed to keep my sanity most of the time b y focusing on what’s most important. In order to do that however, you must have done the work so you know what’s most important. I have done much work on goal setting in my personal life, and as I launched my business full time, I did the work to develop a strategic plan so I would be crystal clear on my business priorities.

According to an article in the September 2009 Harvard Business Review, “How Strategy Shapes Structure” http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2009/09/how-strategy-shapes-structure/ar/1 we can apply the concepts of business strategy to many aspects of work and life, from job search to business development to family management. With a clear strategy, we can provide the much needed structure we need to survive challenging times.

I developed a Strategic Goal Setting Worksheet as a tool to assist in the process. I am a visual learner and like to see the “Big Picture” all on one page. In short, the process involves focusing on one overarching goal, such as “Grow my Business in 2010”, then defining three to five strategic goal categories, such as:

1) Product Development
2) Marketing Strategy
3) Administrative Management
4) Client Service

The next step is to identify specific action steps for each category and who is responsible for the actions. The key to successful implementation is the discipline to keep your focus on the goal, complete the action steps and follow up to revisit so adjustments and changes can be made as necessary. You must truly believe in the power of your dreams and keep your vision clearly set on what is possible!

If you are interested in a copy of the Strategic Goal Setting Worksheet, just send me an email  wlpg@cox.net  and I would be happy to share it with you!