Systems Mindset of Goals

People have been obsessing over goals and goal oriented mentalities for ever. Whether it’s a short lived New Year’s resolution, a goal to get more organized, or sales goals in their businesses, the fact is that most of us never reach them – But why? Why do most people and businesses fail when it comes to reaching their goals? 

Despite the thousands of self help books written on the subject, the reason, I think, is simple – most people who set goals are missing a couple crucial aspects, the HOW and the WHY. Those two things are hands down the most important parts of reaching a goal. You gotta have a plan and you have to have a reason.  Goals are easy to set, anyone can do it, just go outside and scream your goal into the sky or write it down on a piece of paper. Then every day just do the same thing, scream or write down your goal and get back to me on how that works out.

Think back to if you ever had a goal, did you see it through? If not, then why? I know one of my goals is to lose my dad bod. But if I just spent every day thinking about my goal and looking in the mirror without becoming a healthier person by implementing an exercise regimen or changing my diet, I am pretty sure I would have to continue to upsize my clothes. The other part of reaching my goal is the WHY, why do I want to lose the Dad Bod? Well, for one, a big part of my motivation to stay healthy is to be able to take care of my family for a long time and set a good example for my young son. On the days that I don’t feel like exercising or eating well I can just think back to my why for extra motivation. Only focusing on the goal, to lose weight, and not implementing the systems to achieve the goal like eating better and exercising, leaves me wearing a shirt to the swimming pool and having all you can eat buffets lock their doors when they see me coming. Without changing my systems and processes, I may hit my goal, but there’s a good chance that over some time I will revert back to my old ways and gain back the weight I worked so hard to lose. That’s why implementing or even altering your processes is crucial in reaching and maintaining success.

When I speak to Restoration or Cleaning Business owners, new or old, and ask them about their goals, I typically get some sort of generic response like “I want to hit 3 million this year”. Great, they have a goal, but more often than not when I ask them how they plan on getting to that sales goal, why they want to hit that goal, and what systems they have in place to run their business like a well oiled machine I’m just met with more goals: “I am going to increase my leads by 40%” or “I am going to bring on 3 more crews”.

What I rarely hear is that they have a set plan of action in place and proper systems to handle all of the things they need to do to achieve those goals. These business owners are like amateur plate spinners at a circus, trying to increase their digital reach, get leads, build relationships, manage employees, retain clients, handle operations, answer phones, and handle accounts receivable. These businesses live in crisis mode and can never fully get to where they need to get because they haven’t invested the time into developing systems that can be replicated and scaled. And without systems and a true reason why, like financial freedom or to sell the business, when the times get tough (they will), they have nowhere to turn for more motivation to stay on track to hit their goals.

So what can you do right now to switch from a goal oriented mindset to a systems mindset? Below are a few things you can do right now in your business to start actually hitting some of those goals.

• Write down your goals – this seems mundane and arbitrary but it is a big part of seeing them through. Whatever your goal is, put it on paper and you can begin to outline how you will get there.
• Figure out your “why” – really dig deep, start with some introspection. Figure out why you are an entrepreneur, why you decided to own a business. Is it to set up your family with financial freedom? Is it to eventually sell your business? Figuring out a strong “why” is a big part of hitting your goals whatever they may be.
• Map out the pathway and plan to hit your goals. Really get granular with this- the more you break it down the easier it will be to see it through. If your goal is to hit a certain revenue target, make sure you know what it will take to hit that goal. How many jobs do you need to do? What type of services will bring in the most revenue? How will you get those jobs? Know your numbers.
• Take action – one thing that separates the winners from the losers is the winners take immediate and deliberate action. Just writing down goals and a plan is nothing without execution. Part of your plan should be the action steps that are involved.
• Track and measure – tracking and measuring are a big part of hitting your goals. Are you getting the amount of inbound leads you need to hit your sales targets? What are your conversion rates? Take the time to check in on these things weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly to make sure you’re on track. It won’t always be linear so tracking and measuring your progress is crucial. Remember what your focus on improves.
• Develop systems- proper systems provide consistency in your business. Without them it is hard to track and measure success and almost impossible to scale. The best way to scale is to have clearly mapped out systems and processes in your business from onboarding a new client to sales to how to do the actual work. Remember, changing your processes and implementing the proper systems will make sure that once you hit that goal you still can continue progress to exceed or maintain it.
• Reflect – this is a big one that not a lot of people take the time to do. Reflect on your progress and celebrate every win. Take some time and celebrate hitting benchmarks. It’s easy to get lost in the process and time will fly. Make sure you’re enjoying your progress as well. Think back to your “why” and take the time to be present. Buy your team lunch, take a short vacation with the family, hand out some bonuses, whatever works for you. 

Goals are the results that you wanna get, but the systems are the catalyst that is going to get you there.  Without proper systems in place, you’re destined to be stuck at the starting line.A goal without a plan is just a wish. 

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