This one is all about how to build resilience into your goal-setting process.
Problems arise when we set our goals, forecasts and targets without thinking about the things that could derail us in our quest.
Things never...
...quite work out the way we plan. So why do we plan for things to work out?
We need to be looking ahead to the potential obstacles for two reasons:
- To put in place plans to overcome them;
- And to visualise the overcoming process.
When we expect...
...the path to success to be an effortless journey into the future, it means we get disappointed when they don't work out how we want and we can become demotivated as a result.
But if we build in the expectation that there will be difficulties along the way, then we view overcoming those difficulties as part of the process rather than a sudden and undesirable roadblock.
In fact...
...I always tell my clients that change doesn't happen in a straight line. There's always an initial dip where you fall behind the curve, before you build momentum and start to really feel the benefits of your efforts.
Having that expectation at the outset means that, when the dip comes, the thinking is "We're on target," rather than "Oh no, we're falling behind our predictions."
ACTION POINT
Take a look at your growth plans.
If they're looking like a straight line you're probably setting yourself up for failure.
Recognise that...
...you might achieve less than you thought in the short term, but make it up later. Flatten your curve at the start and make it steeper later on.
The great thing then is that, if you continue the curve, your growth starts to become exponential. And that's really motivating and inspiring for your people.
As Bill Gates says:
"We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction."
