Are you Helping or Hindering Your Progress?

This Week with Sara Fitts asks an extremely important question related to your future success. For those of you who know me personally, you know that I almost always ask questions that are open-ended and powerful; however, today I am asking a powerful question that is of the either/or variety. Are you helping or hindering yourself? Are you helping or hindering your efforts to grow personally and professionally? Are you helping or hindering your staff and their efforts? Are you helping or hindering your own business?

I believe that in order for us to be as successful as we possibly can be, we must be 100% candid with ourselves - first and foremost. We cannot tell ourselves that we are the best in our field if we clearly are not. We cannot tell ourselves that our employees would follow us into battle if they won't. We cannot be less than 100% candid with ourselves if we are to attain the success we are capable of experiencing.

Are you helping or hindering your progress? Take this morning as your own personal example. Did you set yourself up for success or did you set yourself up for failure? Did you get up on time and get to work without unnecessary hassles within your control? Did you schedule a 9:00 a.m. meeting that you know you should have put at 10:00 a.m. - since it's Monday and you know how things go on Monday mornings when you've been away since Friday afternoon? Did you overbook your calendar today? Did you over-promise and under-deliver?

Are you helping or hindering your progress? Do you have a staff that is paid to support you? Do you help them or hinder them? Do you thank them for their support - even if they get paid to do their jobs? Do you hang in there with them to meet the deadlines? Do you help them or hinder them?

Are you helping or hindering your progress? Are you doing everything you can to forward your momentum? Are you doing anything to sabotage your success?

The question that I ask you this morning is not intended to be negative in any way; it is meant to be provocative and motivating. We all have improvements to make in our lives and in our businesses. And we owe it to ourselves and our employees (if we have them) to do everything we possibly can to move forward. This same question was asked of me yesterday - and I'm answering it - and sending it along to you as well. It is a powerful question with almost infinite possibilities for massive, exponential growth in all areas.

So, I challenge you to answer this question candidly - and listen to the answer. Are you helping or hindering your progress?

More to come.....

Setting the Right Goals Makes All the Difference

This Week with Sara Fitts focuses on setting the right goals for your small business in order to get the best results in 2008. Another way of putting this might be found in this quote that I like to use with my clients: If we do not change direction, we are liable to end up where we are headed.

The Simple Little Formula I use with my clients to set goals is basically this:

1. Begin with the end in mind. On December 31, 2008 where do you want your business to be? What results do you want to achieve? What is your vision of your business one year from now?
2. Be specific. Use concrete language. Instead of saying "increased revenue" state how much of an increase in revenue is needed or desired. Be as specific as possible. If you aren't specific, how will you know if you have succeeded?
3. Make your goals measurable. Use specific criteria in order to know whether or not you are successful in your actions. How will you know your plan is working? How will you know it isn't?
4. Make sure you can reach the goals you set. Are they attainable? Is it realistic to believe that you can achieve the results you want? It is highly unlikely to increase revenue in 1 year by 200%. Make sure you set yourself and your small business up for success and not failure.
5. Break each goal down into specific actions with deadlines for each action. This is the crucial piece that so often gets left undone. Give yourself time to reach the goal by putting a plan in place that will provide opportunities for success.
6. Hold yourself accountable for all aspects of the goals, plans, and deadlines. You must be accountable for the results you plan to get. Know that you are accountable for your results period - good or bad. But set yourself up in order to get the best results possible.
7. At the end of each deadline time frame, assess and evaluate your goals, your actions, and your results. Are you heading in the right direction? Do you need to make any small changes? Do you need to change direction? Are you pleased with your progress? How big is the gap between where you are and where you need and want to be? How can you improve?
8. Each quarter review your numbers and your current results. [You may want to do this monthly instead.] Candidly assess and evaluate each piece of the overall plan. Make the changes that are necessary. Do the work that needs to be done in order to make 2008 your best year yet.
9. Setting the right goals makes all the difference in your life and in your business.

If you would like to schedule a strategy session, please contact Sara L. Fitts to arrange it.

http://www.SLFConsulting.com 703.791.4741

Get in Gear for a Great 2008!

This Week with Sara Fitts wishes all of you a wonderful New Year! In order to make 2008 a great year, here are some questions that may guide your action plan and help you get in gear for the New Year!

• What accomplisments are you most proud of in 2007?
• What didn't get done in 2007?
• Did you have any disappointments in 2007? What actions or inactions led to them?
• What is the biggest change you want to make in 2008?
• What change (or changes) in your behavior patterns will be necessary in order to make the biggest change in 2008 a reality?
• What needs to happen on your part in the next 30 days in order to be ready to achieve the results you want in 2008?

Get in Gear and make 2008 your best year yet!