12 Apr 2021

Growth Coach Check In: Where Did Q1 Go?

If there’s anything we can all agree on, especially in challenging times, is that even when the days seem long, time still goes quickly. We’re pretty sure Christmas was, like, two weeks ago… and yet the first quarter is already over! If time has snuck up on you too, chances are good that you haven’t done a 90-day check in on your quarterly or annual goals yet. Before you get discouraged, remember that it’s still only April and you have time to get on track.

To get moving, open your calendar and schedule an out-of-the-office meeting with yourself. We’d recommend taking at least two hours, but the time you think you’ll need is up to you. Block out that time on your schedule, stick to it and plan to leave the office – and your email – behind. If you don’t have this time set aside, checking in on your goals will continue to slip to the backburner and, if you don’t leave the office, you’ll be distracted.

Once you have your meeting scheduled, do your research. You want to spend that meeting examining your original goals, digging into your data, considering the adjustments you made and then planning what actions you can take moving forward to continue to move the needle. You don’t want to spend your meeting trying to dig up Facebook data or sales reports. Round up those materials ahead of time so you can reference them as needed.

When it’s time for your goals meeting, start with examining your goals and comparing them to your progress. If you’ve created SMART goals, they should be fairly easy to measure. If you’ve hit your benchmarks, that’s an opportunity to either decide you’re on the right track and continue your progress or adjust your goals to reflect the progress you’ve made. If you wanted to grow your sales by 3 percent and they grew by 5 percent, don’t just pat yourself on the back and slide back to where you were last year.

If you aren’t quite hitting your benchmarks, we’d suggest looking at three things: (1) Have you fully implemented the changes you were going to make to reach those goals? (2) Are your changes enough to reach those goals over time? (3) Are your goals in line? Sometimes we have to make educated guesses for benchmarks and those guesses aren’t always on point. It’s important to be honest about what’s keeping you from reaching your goals so you adjust, take action and be on track for success throughout the year.

Goal setting, strategic planning and implementing changes are some of the most difficult tasks business owners have to do. If you are struggling in this area or you feel like you are treading water, The Growth Coach can help. Find your local coach at https://www.thegrowthcoach.com/find-a-coach.

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