12 May Finish Strong: Your 2016 Business Goals Checklist

Savvy business owners understand the value of setting concise and obtainable business goals. They know that goals are necessary in order to move a company in the right direction and keep it heading there.

We’re now half way through 2016. Time for you to do a little business goals assessment to determine what has been accomplished, what is left to do and who will do the work. It’s also time to identify any roadblocks that could potentially keep you from hitting your goals, then address them and turn them into non-issues.

Business Goals Mid-Year Checkup

Review Your Goals:

As simple as it sounds – go over your business goals. This is best done in a group setting. Read them out loud or project them up on the conference room wall. Include the team members who were involved in the formation of the goals, along with anyone else who might add value to the conversation. Reviewing your goals will refresh everyone’s minds and will breathe a new sense of urgency into them as you move forward.

Track Your Goals:

Goals don’t get accomplished when people lose focus. Track your goals, daily if you have to, in order to keep them top of mind. Set up a system for tracking goals, reporting progress and holding everyone involved accountable. Setting up teams who are responsible for individual goals or the broader goal categories works well.

Break it Down into Achievable Tasks:

Keep it simple. Break your business goals down into their individual parts – sub-parts if needed. Work on one thing at a time so you can accomplish them thoroughly. Once again, assigning these tasks to teams work best.

Adjust and Move On:

Going through the above exercises will undoubtedly reveal some chinks in the armor. Maybe new business revealed the need to adjust one or two of your goals. Maybe you made a mid-year acquisition of another company or you’ve added a new product offering. Many circumstances can dictate mid-course corrections.The trick is to identify them early, make adjustments and continue moving forward.

A Quick Reminder

S.M.A.R.T. Business Goals:

This ubiquitous methodology is used in both business and academia. The SMART system gives criteria that guides the setting of objectives in the areas of business, sales, project management, employee performance and more. There are many templates and examples available online. The S.M.A.R.T. acronym stands for:

Specific – target a specific area for improvement.
Measurable – quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress.
Assignable – specify who will do it.
Realistic – state what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources.
Time-related – specify when the result(s) can be achieved.

Approaching 2017

Don’t let December 31st catch you by surprise. Review and track your goals, make adjustments and move on. Rally the team in the home stretch and make 2016 a year worth celebrating.