Marcia's Leadership Q and As: How to Achieve Your Goals
/Q. Our company and our teams are struggling to achieve our goals and the results we need to be consistently profitable. What can we do?
A. When either individually, as a team or department, or as an organization you’re not achieving the goals you need to, it’s time to stop doing what you’ve been doing. It sounds like you’re mired in complexity and waste. Take a day or week to assess several key points.
First, what is your aim? What are you trying to accomplish? Are you clear and does everyone understand it? How will everyone contribute to it?
Second, identify who the customer is and what they need and want. How do you know? Have you talked to them? Have you observed them using your product and service? Have you been a customer for a day, to experience your customer service and technical support, and their access to you?
Third, gather the people and ask, “How will we accomplish this goal?” Listen to the ideas. Try some of them (not all of them at once.) Make a plan. Continue to implement and continue to improve everything you’re doing.
Fourth, measure your progress with a few key data points. When you’ve all done the work, measure your success. Discuss how to improve it.
If you’re not accomplishing your goal, it’s also essential to discover what the barriers, waste, fears, and complexity is getting in the way of your success. Remove it. Focus and prioritize.