How Clear Are Your Goals?

By: Stuart Crawford
Submitted: 2007-01-17 15:33:40
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It was a foggy mid-October day as I made my way into the office to commence my work day. I was stuck in our normal morning commute and not able to see the buildings in Calgary’s downtown core. I began thinking to myself-- do I know where my end destination is? Absolutely, I could not see the building that holds my office however I still knew where to go.

As my thoughts went on, I started to thinking about business and how some entrepreneurs hesitate to shoot for their goals simply because they cannot see their destination. They just do not go for it. They wait for the weather to clear so they can see where they want to go. What would happen if the weather never cleared? What would happen if while you were waiting for the skies to clear and the sun to come out your competitors claimed your goals from themselves?

As my commute continued to my office, I started to see building outlines and my end destination started to come into sight, still fuzzy from the fog and snow in the air that day. The same can be said about achieving your business goals, if you step off and start making some movement towards your goals in business, you will start to see them. Your vision of what your company or your business will look like starts to appear.

I reflect back to Jim Collins’ book, “Good to Great” for an example of how just stepping off the platform leads toward seeing your vision and your own goals. Every business owner cannot do “it” by themselves. They often need to rely on partners or employees to help them move forward. In “Good to Great,” Jim Collins emphasizes that you need to have the right people in the correct seat on your bus. When you have this in place, then you can start your journey to your goals.

The simple message is to start moving forward. The computer software industry is a great example of just “stepping off” because if computer software companies waited to have their products “perfect” we would not have any software to use. Many companies just get their product out in the market, and then adjust their product to keep it on track toward their goals. The important point is to simply step off and move forward toward your goals and vision.

Returning to my journey this snowy, foggy day, my commute continued and the closer I got to my end destination the clearer my office building became. First it was just an outline of the building, and then windows started to appear. When I was very close the name on the building was clearly in sight and eventually, when I was pulling into the parking lot, everything was in focus. I had reached one goal as it eventually became clearer, no matter how murky it was when I started. I knew when I had reached that goal. But it doesn’t end there. I must set the next goal and start this journey all over again. That goal could have been parking the car, getting into the office or turning on the computer.

It is important to set goals in your business life, however, do not wait to have them be crystal clear. All you need is to have an idea of where you want to go, and a path of how to get there. Do you have to have everything planned perfectly? Simple answer is: No. However you do need to have goals. Then have the courage to get in the car you call your business and start to drive. You may hit a construction site that requires a detour on your journey, just look for the signs to get you back on track or take an alternate route and continue forward.

Article source: Expert Articles