Blog : systems

Progress Issue #2: Stalled quarter goals

  • By amanda@amandaburris.com
  • March 15, 2019
  • Systems

Every fresh year or quarter comes with their very own set of ambitious goals. Deadlines set. Goals mapped. And yet you sit here, ignoring the half eaten Ben and Jerry’s, vday candy, or whatever your vice, beating yourself up for coming short of yet another goal. So off track. So much wasted time. Don’t even get started on money. And feeling like a horrible leader for your small but mighty team.

Look, you are not alone. I’ve been there, we all have. It’s demoralizing to feel the quarter sneaking up on you knowing full well you are going fall short of the ‘plan’. I totally understand how it feels to see those unmet goals sitting there and left wondering why you let the momentum slow down to a complete complete stop. Even with the best of intentions and elbow grease.  HOW and WHY did this happen?

One of my key analysis points when working with clients is to see how their benchmarks or milestones shape up to meeting their goals. The most common reason why isn’t that the goal was too big or off or dumb, but rather the steps to get there were not properly broken down into single, level actionable items and prioritized. 

This is a foundational principle into everything I teach and implement. We can’t have ‘launch a fill the in blank item’ without making sure every step into the progress is broken down, delegated, prioritized and (as much as possible) unlinked from depending on the progress of something else.

But listen carefully, this so different than a 75 point checklist. This is a real plan that is both adaptable and firm, because priorities are broken down creating a consistency and collaboration that isn’t found on any bulleted checklist.

Revamp in 3 super easy steps

STEP 1: Get everything down to an actionable, single level task

The to do’s are the problem! Many times (even with detailed operating procedures) we still attack recurring or special projects using a broad, generalized “to do list” vs. a set of detailed, prioritized actions.  When we operate from a detailed, single level task your team knows exactly what to do and when.  You are setting your operations up with a clear, transparent plan.

STEP 2: Unlink to do’s from depending on each other

Once you have your tasks broken down into single, actionable items you need a system that clearly defines each task along with independent subtasks. This allows your team members to work ahead, with each other, and be in front of deadlines.

STEP 3: Set your priorities and focus

Unlinking and getting those to do’s to task level is just 2/3 of mapping your next steps. The most important element to making your next steps count is to set out your priorities.

Much like shoving 30 days into 90, not having these key and crucial components prioritized into single level tasks are keeping you from consistent momentum towards your goals. 

Once you eliminate the ripple effect, you will see real progress towards your goals. You’ll also be able to see where things are coming together quicker, what needs more refinement or a second hand, and what part of the process needs a little more work.

If you have your ‘launch fill in the blank’ simple sitting there, not broken down or prioritized, and working on tasks in general terms you won’t be able to see how much is left to reach the goal or move the project to DONE!

If you find yourself in this scenario, then you need to refine and tweak your tasks and prioritization.  By taking one week to analyze the work done, the gaps that still exist, and the remaining items necessary you can get those goals back on track and get out of the stalled space.

Now if that has your wheels turning, you need to spend a little bit of time getting this just right. No better place to start than with Your Progress Gameplan. It’s an easy method to get your next 90 days broken down into a real gameplan! 

Progress Issue #1: Shoving 90 Days of Work into 30 Days

When you put those leggings on (sans spanx) do you ever feel like you’ve just shoved a few extra pounds into em? Like you’re a sausage about to bust out of the casing with one wrong move? You know the I-can’t-pick-that-penny-up-off-the-floor kind of move. Honey, you know you’ve been there a time or two. That Sara Blakely knows a thing or two.

I use this example a lot when I start working with clients, not because they need to look slimmer or anything, but because I normally step into a hot mess when it comes to forward planning. All too many times, I see an entire launch, reboot, or overhaul dog eared for one month. Just like when we are too ambitious with that Spring ensemble from last year- your project planning could undergoing the same stress.

Shoving 90 days of work into 30.

One wrong move. One missed deadline. One sequence you can’t nail. One flu away from total and complete disaster.

Oh snap.

That was the seam bustin’ wide open.

Asana just laughed in your face.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have that launch, reboot, revamp or whatever mini project planned for and broken down 90 days in advance. Wouldn’t it be a nice change to clear your regular ‘ole stuff out (like that pesky blog that remains unchecked) to make room for fresh white space for the mini project?

Wouldn’t you feel more in control and your team dialed in if you had all the ducks in a row?

That is absolutely possible!

What you need is a Gameplan and I’ve got the exact solution! Let’s get you setup with your own Progress Gameplan so you can plan your next 90 days with confidence and in ultimate planning style.

Instead of getting that busy-ness high from shoving 30 into 90 (FYI: busy-ness high- the false high from being unnecessarily busy). . . what if you learned to plan to get things done AND be adaptable at the same time?

By implementing the Progress System and the principles behind it you will feel more in control. Your team will feel more confident in their next steps. And in the end, you will have a higher quality product (and process) because you are planning in advance- yet being flexible to account for any bumps in the road.

So if the later sounds way better than that unfortunate pen drop at Target, then I think you need to check out my way of doing things.

You can start with a serious from the ground up overhaul. . . or you can start small. Thinking in terms of sprints, mapping your our next 30-60-90 day gameplan, and scheduling regular reviews to make sure you are tweaking and achieving #allthethings.

 

How to Actually Keep on Track with Your Business Goals

How to Actually Keep on Track with Your Business GoalsIf you’ve ever tried to set truly intentional, stretching, yet achievable goals for your business and not managed to reach the finish line exactly as you hoped, you are not alone. The truth is that a lot of people want to hit all the beautiful milestones they set out during all the yearly planning and annual goal setting review sessions, but not a lot of people actually do it.

With all of the goal setting journals, task managers, to do list dashboards, and even with the best dream teams. . . . Why is it STILL so hard to stay on track?

I’ve worked with a handful of seriously amazing (and crazy successful) business owners and pretty much all of them struggled with what I call #allthethings IDEA WHIPLASH. The #allthethings IDEA WHIPLASH is something all creatives tend to experience and it goes a little like this:

Here are my goals for Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4.
Offerings are XYZ, ABC, and 123.
Marketing for XYZ starts in February Q1.
Whoa, that sounds sooo cool.
Let’s do it.
Let’s move this, that, and that other thing so we can make room for this new amazing thing.
You bet we need a new funnel and marketing graphics
And #allthethings.
2 weeks to 1 month later.
Hold up yo.
I think I like XYZ better now.
Yes, for sure. Let’s go with that.
AND repeat.

Seem familiar? This happens a lot, especially for big dreamin’ creatives. What can you do about it? I’ve got 5 things you can do right now if you want to keep on track with your goals and keep your #allthethings IDEA WHIPLASH to a minimum.

#1) Accept that there is absolutely opportunity cost for new ideas.

Yes, you may be missing out on the next hot thing, but if you’ve set serious financial, growth, and personal goals you need to accept that the opportunity cost is 100% real. You may miss out, but you could hit it out of the park with your original (even refined) idea/s.

#2) Invest in some outside help to setting and PLANNING for these goals.

Sometimes I see business owners fall into #allthethings IDEAS WHIPLASH by default, simply because they have just come up with IDEAS and the when they’d like to meet it (like in 20K in Q2 by selling XYZ) but without actual plans to achieve these goals. Once you see a tactical plan (marketing, numbers, and projects), the idea / offer / promotion feels more “real”. You see the actual way to get there.

#3) Create actual milestones and analyze the heck out of it.

If you break down those quarterly goals into milestones (like in a sprint) it should help you see if your team’s work is really getting you closer to the goal. Benchmarks and milestones are so important and keeps the ping pong idea whiplash minimized. Here’s your out: After comparing your work to your goal/benchmark/milestone and you still feel kinda weird about the goal. . . then maybe it’s time to move on. You’ll have more idea remorse if you haven’t worked on it vs. leaving the idea by choice (backed up by facts).

#4) Set a GET OUT OF JAIL FREE card for these goals.

Much like #3, if you are working towards a goal that involves a lot of new work, refining, or potentially many more hours to finalize, set a date by this time if we have completed: a, b, and c then we will proceed. If we have not, then we can shelve this idea and adjust our marketing or financial goals. I love this because it allows you to lead your team towards those big visions and goals, but it also lets you have a pass if it simply looked good on paper but not in reality.

#5) Refine, adapt, and adjust. Remember– you set those goals in a business vacuum.

While yes, you took time to analyze and objectively look at your business- your business is a living breathing extension of your life and family. Things happen. Goals change. Major life moments affect our quarter-to-quarter projections. That means you have control (and the OK) to change or alter the goals.

If you do those 5 things, you WILL keep on track with your goals. It’s a process I’ve taken both large and small businesses through and every single one of my clients end up exceeding their goals and keeping their teams happy by avoiding #allthethings IDEA WHIPLASH. Sure, you can do this alone but if you are really serious about setting intentional goals, you can’t keep doing things the way you’ve done before.

Sign up for Your Progress Gameplan. It’s the best way to see how this crazy method Progress System works and helps keep you on track towards your goals.