In the first part of our series
we discussed the lack of planning, organization and the fear of loss of
control. In Part II I am going to continue this discussion. I am going to jump
right in.
4. Failure to designate tasks - This goes right along
the
same line as fear of the loss of control. When you finally do yield
the reigns long enough to understand the necessity of allocating the
menial tasks, you will have initiated the first steps of developing the
team you will need to attain your goal.
5. Before you over commit yourself or limit your growth consider
who can effectively assist you. Perhaps you need to hire a new employee but you
don't want the headaches of the overhead. Consider the possibility of utilizing
a placement agency that will handle all the financial and legal aspects of
employee management. Maybe your need is for a contractor who will help you
organize your workspace allowing you to become more productive. Perhaps you
want to accomplish a task that you are just not trained to do. If that is the
case, find someone that has the skill to assist you and ask them for their
input or cooperation.
6. Failure to prioritize - Once your goal has been
decided upon one of the most important thing to accomplish is the development
of a task list. Prioritize your tasks; write them down. Once you complete
the first task it will equip you to initiate the next which in turn will
enable you to remain focused on your goal. It is when we attempt to do
everything all at once that we often become overwhelmed with the project
at hand and loose focus. This is the precursor of failure.
7. Failure to implement - Take action! The fact of the
matter is if you don't implement your plan your plan is worthless! How
many times have you sat down and figured out what you need to do, how you
are going to do it, and what tools you'll need to accomplish the task only
to fail at implementation?
Goal setting has two components, planning and
implementation. The more realistic the planning the better the results of
the implementation will be. Every year business professionals and
managers set aside (or press their employees to allocate) time to design their
business plan for the year ahead. Then once that task is completed they return
to the same old habits of the previous year without even a hint of the required
action to achieve their goals.
If your plan doesn't incorporate effective measures to ensure
its implementation then it will likely fail. We are all familiar with the
partially crossed off "to-do" list at the end of the day - how about
a trillion dollar real life example?
In 1980 President Reagan promised to balance the budget by
1984. In reality the plan was never implemented. He never proposed
a balanced budget in his eight years in office or curbed Congress's ballooning
spending programs. In 1985 the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings plan promised a
balanced budget in 1991 -- it was never implemented. In 1990 Congress
enacted a program to balance the budget by 1993 - it was not implemented.
In 1995 another plan - never implemented.
The lesson here is that the plan must match expectations
with reality and include measures to ensure execution in the face of obstacles
and opposition.
Failure to establish a reward system - For most
people it's all about the reward. Think about it. How many game shows are
there? How often are incentives given in sales meetings? It's all about
discovering what keeps you focused on the task at hand. When you have
rewards to eagerly anticipate you increase the chance of accomplishing the
task.
Think of a reward that is realistic for the goal you want to
attain. Don't limit yourself to just the end reward; consider also small
rewards for accomplishments along the way. You may decide a night out, or a
trip to a masseur is just what you need.
Make it realistic and rewarding enough to keep you on track and go for
it!
Create a plan, organize and
prioritize, implement, designate, and follow-through. Accomplish your goal(s)
one step at a time and reward yourself for a job well done.
© Copyright 2005-10 Ginger Marks
www.DocUmeantDesigns.com
www.DocUmeant.net
www.HolidayMarketingGuide.com
Words of Wisdom E-newsletter will attempt to always deliver sage advice and tidbits to assist you in your business and personal growth & development. Our purpose is simple; support, encourage and supply. In an attempt to provide you with quality content and I welcome your feedback.
