Running your own business means holding yourself accountable for your actions. Nearly every success, every inch of growth, and every learning experience rests squarely on your shoulders. While you may have a business coach, family, and friends cheering you on from the sidelines, ultimately, the only one who can take the actions and be accountable for your business’ success is you.
One of the best ways to measure accountability is simple—set goals. But it is not enough to set goals once and then forget about them. Continually reassessing progress and updating your action steps is a crucial element to successfully achieving your long-term goals. Most people set annual goals and then go on with their regular routines. Then they wonder at the end of the year why they didn’t magically achieve the new, lofty goals they had set out to achieve. You need to be constantly thinking about and acting upon what you want. To achieve new goals, you need to take new actions.
By stopping every few months to evaluate your progress and set new action steps, you will keep yourself focused on the things that matter and the habit changes needed to achieve your goals. Here are some questions to ask yourself to make sure you deliver your 2022 goals:
- Reflect on the last quarter – What were the top highlights of the quarter? What were the biggest things you accomplished? Did you achieve the goals you set for yourself? Did you make sufficient progress towards your full-year goals? What worked well? What didn’t go as planned? What were the biggest challenges you overcame? How did YOU grow?
- Prepare for the next quarter – What can be created or started in the next quarter? What worked last quarter that can continue? What can be changed or improved upon in the next quarter?
- Review your full-year goals – Are they still relevant? Have you completed any of them? Do any of them need to be removed or revised?
- Set your next quarter goals – Choose just three key things you will focus on this quarter. What tasks or action steps are needed to achieve these goals? What issues or challenges do you foresee getting in your way? What will help you succeed?
- Ensure Success – What top three tools, resources, or support do you need? To achieve my goals, who do I need to be? How might I get in my own way? What is the best advice I could give myself to ensure I achieve my quarterly goal?
Setting goals helps keep you focused and organized. It sets you on a path and, in turn, makes decision-making easier. Each goal you achieve means you get to celebrate that win (and make sure you DO celebrate them). The goals you set won’t happen if you just wish for them. Take action. Own your results. Own your accountability. Own your success.
Empowered Leadership helps businesses find freedom through business coaching, executive coaching, assessments, and training. Stacie is an entrepreneur who helps business leaders balance their time to run an effective business and enjoy their life.
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