On Your Mark, Get Set, GOOOOOOO!

2021 is just around the corner. Like many people, I’m wondering how I can make sure our team starts off on the right foot. What are things we need to do to clearly identify our road map so we can nail it this year? After a lot of research and reflection, this is the road map I’ve chosen. Hope it helps.

1. Include your team. Business does not happen in a vacuum and having a team that helps create the goals will increase success. I shared a list of questions with them to get the ball rolling.
   1. What’s working? Why?
   2. What’s not working? Why?
   3. What did we achieve in 2020?
   4. What learnings can we take from 2020?
   5. What goals did we fail to achieve? 
   6. What obstacles stand in the way of success?
      
      
2. Create an “old school” SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis. My daughter is taking a marketing class and it reminded me this is a tool that works! For those of you (like me) who have been out of school for a while, a SWOT Analysis is a useful tool for helping you identify and understand key issues in your department or your company. Focusing on a handful of big-ticket items will help us move forward and have the most impact.
   
   
3. Identify necessary changes. What are the things you need to do to make your company/department more successful? What resources do you have in place and what do you need? Evaluate your talent to make sure they have the skill sets to make it happen. If they don’t, you’ll want to research some training and education options.
   
   
4. Now the fun part – Goal Setting. Goals should be “SMART”: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Everyone should know the goals and know their role in success.

If I learned anything this year it’s that goals change! While setting them is a proactive move, there are things that can get in the way. Pandemics and life have a way of changing priorities. I remain optimistic that 2021 will be our best year ever. I work with amazing humans who have time and time again proven themselves to be flexible, thoughtful and hardworking!

Other suggestions? Drop me a note.