I’m guessing that you’ve been inundated with people saying you should be making new year’s resolutions to get fitter, thinner, richer well I’m not going to be saying they’re wrong (they are by the way), what I am going to say is that new year’s resolutions don’t as a rule work. In fact, as this is going out in mid-Jan I’m guessing that a lot of you have abandoned them already. Most resolutions are like goals in that they’re about getting more of something. The trouble with goals is that people rarely achieve them.
In my experience there’s a few reasons for why people don’t achieve their goals, but the main one is a lack of focus on the goal. Things get in the way, like work, business and life in general, and suddenly the goal is no longer front of mind and doesn’t seem important anymore.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “What gets measured gets done.” It comes from the management guru Peter Drucker who actually said “What gets measured gets managed” the basic tenet is that if you’re measuring something then the probability of you acting on the information you now have is a lot higher. Regular measurement and reporting keeps you focused on what you’re trying to achieve.
This is the reason most people don’t achieve their goals, they simply forget about them. They’re no longer front of mind and therefore they no longer have the importance they had when they were set. Here’s two ways measurement leads to goal achievement:-
- The simple act of measurement increases motivation to perform. The term ‘eustress’ refers to ‘good stress,’ or the opposite of ‘distress,’ and captures that healthy response to stress we have when something is attainable, but almost too far out of research. Research shows that the desire to win is heightened when rivalry and time pressure coincide, and the simple act of measuring something sparks that sense of rivalry in many people. Of course that rivalry doesn’t need to be with others, it can be with one’s own self as a sort of ‘competition’ to see whether you can beat a goal. Without a measure, there is no way to determine whether you have won, and therefore, less motivation to get something done.
- Then there’s that small matter of accountability. When we set goals and measure performance against that goal we have the ability to hold ourselves (and others) accountable for the resulting success or failure. We actually have concrete data that shows us what we did or didn’t do, what the impact was, and what we need to do differently. And without accountability we can’t steer people towards success and growth.
So is that all you have to do? Measure something and it will magically happen? Of course not. You need to be setting up the right systems to monitor your progress and this requires proper business planning, project management, and change management.
Of course we have a complete goal setting system, but more than that we actually have a goal achievement system based on our 90-day planning system. We actually address both the points above by providing you with the necessary measurement tools and holding you accountable so that you do actually achieve what you set out to do.
If you’d like to know more then why not check out our next level business coaching (Click Here).
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