Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Your 1-Year Plan

Goal

If you’ve been following our blog series, you have done a considerable amount of work developing a clear, long-term vision for your company. You’ve defined your:

With your long-term vision and planning completed, it’s time to start gaining some traction. When you develop your one-year plan, the rubber meets the road. This is where all the work you’ve done to this point starts to get very real — and you see traction.

A word of caution: Don’t try to accomplish all your business goals at once

This may seem like a no-brainer, but too many companies try to put high energy into all of their goals in the first year and burn out quickly. Don’t over-reach. Recognize that you’ve done the work; now you can get specific and identify what you can accomplish in just one year.

Break down the three-year picture into steps

When you look at your three-year picture, it is usually pretty clear which things need to be accomplished before the others. Start with the numbers — your measureable metrics — and discuss with your leadership team what elements must take priority in order to keep you on track. These initial priorities will become your business goals.

Every goal must be:

Measureable
Attainable
Specific

Anyone should be able to read each goal and know exactly what it means and how to measure it. For example, “increase sales” is not a goal, it’s a wish. “Create $1 million in new sales” is a goal. It is specific and measurable.

Your team can also determine whether that $1 million is attainable. Realistic expectations are critical to your team’s success. You can’t hold the team or yourself to a goal that no one believes they can reach. Goals are set to be achieved.

In our Traction blog series, we’re exploring how to create a clear vision for your business. Inspired and guided by the concepts in the book Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman, these blogs will walk you through essential steps that will enable you to get traction, grow, and thrive.

Crop your list for year one

With your list of goals established, put them in the order they need to be achieved. In most cases, and with a little discussion, your leadership team can identify the order in which goals need to be accomplished to make progress and achieve your three-year plan.

Thus, if you have 15-19 goals on your list, you can usually identify five to seven that can and should be accomplished in the first year. Those goals make your one-year plan. This practical, concrete list puts everyone on the same page and creates a clear path to achieving those goals the first year.

At the end of the year, you’ll be able to review and measure the progress against your plan and give the team a reckoning of the progress made. You’ll also have a ready-made list for year two and a firm sense of what still needs to be done to reach your three-year objectives.

Are you ready to jump-start your business? Get help with a Business Blueprint. Contact Financial Gravity at (469) 342-9100, by email, or through our contact page.