This week, we’re talking about setting annual goals.
If you are still with me from our conversation on Tuesday… keep reading. If you missed it, read this first.
Now, if you’ve already acted on what we talked about on Tuesday, you should now be looking at a long list of things that need to be done in the next year.
Now ask yourself this BIG question. And answer honestly…
REALISTICALLY, with my normal workload, all of the unforeseen challenges over the next year, and the limited resources that we have, can we do all of this?
Can we actually achieve these goals in 2014?
Chances are, if your team is stacked with leaders who are doers and big-dreamers, the answer is going to be “no.” Your list of goals for the year is probably bigger than you can actually manage. If you’re there, here comes the hard part…
1. Decide which goals can be pushed back until next year. Cross those out. You’re going to break some hearts. Welcome to leadership.
2. Extend the deadline. If there is still too much, and there probably is, see if there is anything that can be part of a two or three year process so you can spread out the work. It sounds like forever, but the truth is that many of our major changes take over a year to complete anyway.
3. Ask yourself the BIG question we talked about above. Can you get it all done? If the answer is still no… return to #1!
4. If the answer is yes, give yourself 24 hours to live with it.
Then check back tomorrow for Day 3 of this series on setting Yearly Goals.