Have you set your goals for 2022?

I have spent the last few days in Lapland with my family and it was truly magical.  It was definitely a bucket list tick for my husband and I, as it was something both of us would have loved to have done when we were young.  As I watched my children play in the snow, I took a moment to be thankful.  However, it is not time to slow down and settle, for me it is the most important time of the year in business too.  It is the time when I plan and prepare for my next year.

I think for many of us, the last 2 years have been challenging through one way or another.  However, every challenge presents opportunity and for me there have been some valuable lessons learned.  I am really excited about 2022, mainly because I am well prepared and planned.  Not only am I prepared, but I will ensure that I communicate clearly to my team.   I work with some extraordinary talented people through my business…. but it often surprises me how their goals and plans do not get well communicated.  To execute a plan you need buy in, to gain buy you need to communicate.

Here are a some really simple steps that I follow to set my goals;

1.  I think about the results I want to achieve.  I visualise the results and fully believe that I WILL achieve them.  If you don’t believe you can achieve them, then you have no chance in convincing anyone else.
2. Create SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound).  We all know this acronym off be heart, but how many times do we set goals that are not SMART? 
3. Write your goals down.  This sounds like the most obvious, simple task, but so many people fall at this hurdle.  I write every goal down, whether it be personal or business related.  If it is written down, then it is happening, I have made the commitment.
4. Divide and Conquer.  I love this phrase – by breaking your goals down into achievable portions/ or delegating across teams etc.  I always place my goals into an action plan and cascade this down through my business. I am very clear on who is responsible for what and the timeline.
5. Take serious action – how many people just spend hours/days/years putting together complicated plans and goals but never take action.  Plan and then execute.
6. Re-evaluate and assess progress throughout the year.  This is a really important step in the process and from my experience it often does not happen.

I need to add a new destination to the bucket list now….I think the next one will be warmer 😊.