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10 Oct 2016

Business Owner Checklist: Your 2016 Goals

The stores are packed with Halloween decorations, some early shoppers are starting to check off that holiday list and the weather is turning colder… which means we’re into Q4! But don’t panic, we still have almost three months left in 2016, which means you still have time to work on your 2016 goals.

We know, in January, many business owners and company leaders took out a notepad and started to think about three things: (1) What were the biggest achievements and challenges of 2015 and (2) What should we do differently in 2016 and (3) What goals are we going to set for the year. Some of those goals might have been specific, such as a sales goal, while others may have been more nebulous, like finding more time to spend with your family. So today, since we’ve crested into the final quarter of the year, we want you to take a few minutes to be brutally honest and ask yourself: How are those goals coming? And did you make the changes you said needed to be made?

If you’re meeting your goals and things are going well in your business and your life, then we just want to remind you to celebrate! It’s important to recognize your progress and the work you’ve put into making things better. And if you’re struggling to meet those goals, here are a few suggestions from The Growth Coach:

Get Busy Being Less Busy

Whether or not you’re a business owner, time is always a convenient excuse. We are all busy with work, life, family, friends… so how can you find time to work on your goals? If being up against the clock has kept you from meeting your 2016 goals, then it’s time to evaluate your life. Look at your calendar and your bank account – where are you spending the most time and money? Do those answers align with what you want in life? If not, then it’s time to re-evaluate your life and make decisions about what’s important and what’s not. When you’ve got your priorities in line, weigh those priorities against your goals and decide what to work on for the rest of the year.

Focus on Owning the Business

Many small business owners are trapped in their business because they’re the most important person on staff.  They are the main technician, the answer for all the questions, and the heart and soul of the business. Can you take a month off work and come back to a healthy company? If you’re spending every waking hour RUNNING your business instead of OWNING your business, you can’t possibly find time addressing the challenges of the previous year, which will mean falling behind in achieving those goals. Before you can make headway on those 2016 goals – many of which you can probably still accomplish before the end of the year – you have to learn to delegate and get your head out of the everyday operations.

Amending Your Goals

Sometimes we all have to admit that our goals may be out of reach in the timeframe we’ve set for ourselves. Of course we want to encourage you to do better than your best to meet your original goals, but we also know that life happens. If your goal honestly required a year’s worth of work and you’re now stuck at three months until 2017, it’s OK to make changes. You have to hold yourself accountable for reaching your goals and, if those goals need to be amended to make the most progress in Q4, then that’s OK. Beating yourself up over lost time won’t help you build a stronger business OR a more balanced life.

Set aside some time today to dig deep into your original goals, evaluate what you needed to be doing for the last nine months and decide what you can still accomplish in 2016. Just keep in mind that, if you’re changing your goals to meet your expectations for what you can accomplish this year, be careful not to set the bar too low. It’s OK to amend your goals, but don’t do it just so you can put a checkmark next to the line items in January. Your goals should be achievable, but challenging to keep you at your best!

If you’re having trouble reaching your goals or holding yourself accountable, or if you’re ready to talk about next year, then it’s time to chat with a Growth Coach. Find your local Growth Coach here: http://thegrowthcoach.com/find-coach/.

Filed under: Business Coaching Tagged: 2016 goals, business blog, business coach, business management, business owner, business owner break, business owner burnout, business owner mindset, business systems, coaching, delegation, entrepreneur, goals, golas, Growth Coach, leadership, marketing, setting goals, small business, small business ceo, small business leader, small business management, strategic business owner, strategic mindset, strategic planning, strategic thinking, work life balance

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