If you think the key to success is to set goals and visions for the new year, you are going to be soundly disappointed. Frankly, goals are nice and everybody needs to have them, but when it comes to producing long-term consistent success Process trumps Goals.
We have been told for years that the key to success is to set goals. Sometimes, we were told to set big hairy audacious goals, or maybe SMART goals, other times we have been told to set goals that light our souls on fire. In truth, all of those options are bad advice.
This does not mean that setting goals are a bad thing, in fact without an endpoint you are trying to reach, there is little chance you can successfully get through anything from a sales call to a monthly quota or even an annual plan. The problem as Steven Covey once said is that we must “Begin with the end in mind.” Goals are nothing more than the Beginning. So once you have picked the end (or goal) you want, what has to happen next?
I work with my clients to layout a Process to achieve any goal they set. What does Process mean? In basic terms, Process is the consistent series of steps you go through to produce goals.
Each year plenty of people set goals to lose weight and each year most of those goals fail. The Process to lose weight is pretty well known, eat less and move more. However, few people use that Process because it is neither meaningful nor specific. To be valuable, Process must be specific. For example, consume less than 25 grams of carbohydrates daily and walk or run 3 miles a minimum of 4 days per week.
So when we talk about Process we need to be specific and short term. I need to be able to tell on at least a daily basis whether or not I am doing the right activity to achieve my goal.
The best part about thinking in terms of Process is the control you have over your next action. You can base your decision on whether your next actions will move you towards or away from your goal. And when you inevitably fall off your Process, the simplest thing you can do is begin again.
As we jump into 2021, my hope is that you take the time to design the Process required to achieve your goals. I hope you set up tracking and measurements to make sure that you are executing your Process.
If you are struggling to design, track, or execute your Process, maybe we should talk.
Matt Nettleton (317) 678-8800 or click to schedule a call.
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