Setting Goals That Work

by Dave Ramsey
As a business leader or small business owner, chances are you've set a few goals in your career. You understand the importance of having a vision and goals to keep your business moving forward.

While you're establishing your goals for 2011, it's a good idea to make sure you've set goals that will work. Each goal must:
Be specific,
Be measureable,
Have a time limit,
Be yours, and
Be in writing.
Whether your goals deal with sales, income, hiring new employees, or simply losing weight, they won't work if they don't have each of these attributes.

For example, you probably want to increase sales in 2011. Great! But that goal won't work. If you want to increase sales by 10% each quarter in 2011, then that's a goal that will work. You can break that goal down into small parts and time frames, all the way down to the daily activities you need to complete to accomplish that goal—step by step.

Goals And Your Team
The EntreLeader not only establishes goals for his business, he shares those goals with his team. That's called casting a vision. It brings your team along with you in every aspect of the business. It also improves communication and unity, which are the foundations of a quality organization.

And, as you share your goals with your team, consider that many of them have never set goals for themselves—personally or professionally. Each year, Dave's team members create individual goals and share them with their leaders.

"Having my team set individual goals each year is a great way to get them motivated to succeed for themselves and the team," said Chris LoCurto, formerly Vice President of Live Events and now an EntreLeadership message-bearer.

Dave even requested that team members email him a copy of their goals, not only as a motivational tool, but because he enjoys seeing how far his team members have come based on the goals they set for themselves.

Hit Or Miss?
A couple of issues ago, we discussed the BHAG—the big, hairy, audacious goal that pushes you to achieve things you might not have thought possible. Even if you don't achieve your BHAG, the process of moving toward it is success.

All goals are like that, aren't they? If you increase your sales by 8% rather than 10%, does that make you a failure? No way! What's important is that you have a vision that moves you and your business forward, because, as Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."

So make your goals, share them with your team, and encourage them to set their own goals, and you will create powerful momentum that will propel your business throughout 2011!