If you find yourself running a business or you’re just an employee going to work for someone else on a daily basis, do you have truly defined goals?
While many individuals have goals, they unfortunately drop by the wayside at times due to a number of reasons. One problem that can crop up is when life becomes so burdensome that you’re fighting just to survive on a daily basis. You strive to make your business better or the company who you work for, but you oftentimes find yourself swimming an uphill battle.
In the end, both you and the company suffer for it when goals are not set and of course ultimately met. So, how can you set goals and achieve them for a perfect unity?
Have Realistic Goals in Place
To start with, your role in the business world will oftentimes define the goals you should be setting.
For businessmen such as John Lemp, he’s found success by always striving to push the envelope, setting and achieving new goals.
If you run your own business, make sure you are setting the following goals:
1. Hiring the best talent – First and foremost, having the best employees under your wing goes a long way in helping you reach your business goals. When bringing on new employees, make sure they are as motivated as you are to meet the company’s goals. Do they have a passion for their jobs or do they just show up to collect a paycheck every two weeks? Are they inspired not only to help customers, but also their fellow co-workers? Lastly, will they go that extra mile in doing what is best for the company, be it working overtime, helping with business initiatives in the community, promote your brand on social media and more?
2. Customer service that is second to none – In order to keep a strong customer base, you need to show your customers that they always come first in your eyes. Review your customer service techniques to see where they are being met (hopefully being exceeded) and what still needs work. The sky is the limit when it comes to customer service goals, so don’t think at any point that you can’t do any better in pleasing your customers;
3. Growing your company for the future – While many small businesses unfortunately do not make it past a couple of years, make sure you’re not one of those companies. This is especially true when running a home business as you may not always have the support structure that those with employees etc. have. Always be willing to take advice from those closest to you (and even other home business owners), allowing you to grow your business at the right speed. While it is great to want to grow at leaps and bounds, grow your business at the proper pace so you can meet customer demands and not get in over your head.
If you work for someone else, that doesn’t mean you can’t and shouldn’t be setting your own goals to move up the corporate ladder.
Such goals should include:
1. Becoming a better employee- Working for someone else can be challenging at times. From bosses who never give you credit for a job well-done to those who micromanage every little detail of your day at work, the challenge can seem overwhelming at times. Resist the urge to complain or just walk away from the situation. Know deep down that you are a good employee, one who can become even better when all is said and done. And if you work truly hard enough over time, you may one day become the boss, so always keep that as a goal in the back of your mind;
2. Helping fellow employees – There is no doubt that some employees don’t get along with their co-workers for one reason or another. With that being said, take the higher ground and help your co-workers whenever necessary. Not only is this good for the overall success of the company, but it will get you better known and appreciated by management. At the end of the day, everyone at the company is one team, so make it one of your goals to be a team player.
Whether you run your own company or you are employed by one, what goals have you set for 2016 to improve your career?
