A friend of mine is renowned for talking in metaphors, and his most recent resonated deeply with me, as this global pandemic rises for it’s second wave in Victoria and NSW, and the Olympics are postponed until next year. He compared his company to a body builder who trains for a competition. They might train 7 days a week, and so might the person next to them. But the body builder has a goal and is focussed on the result, so they go back for more, train longer, harder, and push through the pain leading up to the competition. When the competition comes around, and the body builder stands on the podium, they don’t feel the pain, they feel the ecstasy of winning.
It’s a tough time for some businesses at the moment. Some have ceased operation, others have been able to pivot to deliver a different product or a different service. Now is the time for reinvention, and fast-tracking change. Have you had ideas in the back of your mind or on the drawing board for a couple of years now? Right now could be the perfect time to bring them to reality.
If your company is planning to implement a new strategy or idea it is crucial that you engage your team to help deliver it. They may be torn between what they’ve always done and the new concept. Not everyone embraces change the same way. You need a way to get your team as excited about the idea as you are.
A new direction for your business can be confusing for the team. For some, you may never go back to the way you operated before, and for others this may be an opportunity to add to the products or services you deliver. Your staff may be confused about how much of their time they should spend on doing things they’ve always done, and how much time should be dedicated to the new goals.
Objectives
There are a number of simple objective setting techniques that can be followed. Remember the SMART acronym?
Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Realistic – Timely
Objectives and Key Results or OKRs are another technique that interestingly challenges the ‘achievable’ part of the above acronym by introducing the concept of aspirational objectives.
Whatever the version of objective you write, it is the development and implementation of plans to achieve the objective that makes or breaks it. Action plans give clarity to those involved by defining who is responsible and what is expected of them. If you don’t action it, it won’t happen. If you don’t go to the gym, you won’t stand on the podium.