Now that we are at the half year point for our year, it is time that we take a look at our business performa based on the goals we set at the beginning of this year. As a Business Coach unfortunately I often see this step over looked for the sake of, we have to get more customers in the door, make it bigger, and mover faster to get ‘it.’ The reality is that even if you do all of those things, if you are not completely crystal clear with how well you are tracking, you will spin your wheels in exhaustive peril trying to reach ‘it.’

So what is one to do when they are burning the candle at both ends? How do we stop spinning our wheels in an effort to get ‘it.’ Well for starters, stop. If you as business owner, manager, CEO are working all of the overtime trying to keep things together, you are likely to hit that proverbial wall real soon. It is important that you take time to recharge so that, you can look at all the necessary elements to your business success and put the right people and components in place for success. The Lone Ranger went out with Tonto and for your health and success it is important to put that in perspective. One of perhaps the most difficult things to get across is that the business will be better, the organization will be stronger and the people will likely be happier when the person at the top is balanced. Working endless hours without a strategic vision, a sustainable plan that is based on current and future reality, is futile.

To get to current reality, we must assess our performance. Take an inventory of how we are doing and what still needs to be done and (perhaps most important) alter plan if necessary. I find it to be so interesting that business leaders will be super charged when they know that they are ahead of their goals for the year and adjust up, yet they won’t be willing to redefine goals that they aren’t meeting at the halfway point and adjust accordingly. So what happens, they keep moving toward a goal that at this point is not realistic, ultimately resulting in the feeling of failure for everyone. Be willing to change your goal down just as you would be to adjust it up - that doesn’t mean you failed. It means that you know the state of your business, are realistic with what you can accomplish, and are building in steps toward sustainable success. Always, always, always, look at what you can learn from the wins and loses in your business. This helps for future planning and strategy building. It also supports your employees to feel supported and not condemned, a topic for another time.

Bottom-line

• Assess current reality and Celebrate your wins!
• Determine how we are meeting the mark
• Adjust target if necessary
• Communicate to staff how we are tracking
• Set next 6 months goals in place based on current reality

The value in being totally clear with how we are tracking cannot be gauged in dollars and cents. It is in the feeling of accomplishment, of knowing the current temperature of our company and by being clear on what we ‘need’ to get to our goals.

Enjoy a great second half to 2008!

Tammy Redmon
Business Coach and Growth Strategist
www.redmonandassociates.com