Have You Set Your Business on the Right Course?
As we approach the end of the 1st month of the year, now would be a good time to check that all is well with your strategy and that the direction you’ve set your business on is still the right one.
If it isn’t then change it – you’re 4 weeks into your plan – it’s not too late.
If you’ve been reading my recent posts you’ll know how important it is to set your business on a specific course in order to reach a well-defined destination.
This is vital for so many reasons and not least to keep your business moving towards milestones and goals and not to meander and achieve little more than it did 12 months ago.
Two important questions:
- Are you on course?
- Is this course still the right one?
1. Are you on course?
If you followed my guidance then you’ll have broken your goals down into short milestones and you’ll have set one or two very short, early ones. The point of this is that you only need to focus on the next milestone because if you reach that when you planned to then you know you’re on course.
If you’re not on course and an early milestone has been missed or will be missed then don’t panic. If you’ve stayed focused on your key priorities then it might simply be that the milestones and targets were too ambitious.
I’m serious about the not panicking bit. The last thing you need to do at this early stage is stress out and lose faith in your strategy or your ability to make it happen. Give yourself a break – you don’t have a crystal ball and neither are you a Time Lord so it’s ok to be slightly off what you planned.
Instead, amend your strategy, push back a little here and if possible pull in a little there. Don’t eliminate the challenge you’ve set but tweak it to make it realistic.
2. Is this course still the right one?
We live in a complex, fast-paced world – things can change and they can change overnight. Is the course you’ve set for your business still the right one?
Has a new opportunity come up? Have you had a flash of inspiration that requires a change of direction but which will ultimately benefit your business and where you can get it? Has something unexpected happened which will impact your ability to achieve what you planned?
Again, don’t panic – just change your strategy, set a new strategic destination and map the journey to reach it.
A strategy is a living, breathing entity that is there to help you. It can evolve and change to suit your needs and to fit into the reality of your life. If it becomes anything else then it is not helping you and you will quickly abandon it. And that it when you’ll lose your compass and your business will meander and drift.
Your strategy is your best help provided it is fit for purpose. If it is not then change it – it is not set in stone.
Set aside the time now and check that the course you’re on is the right one.
Related posts:
This is Vital if your want to Achieve your Goals
Strategy Equals hard Choices
