Setting Your Business Goals for 2011

As I begin to analyze 2010 and figure out where I ended up in the long list of successes and failures I find it important to measure that by looking at my core values and determining what I want 2011 to look like next Christmas. I have some tools that work really well for me and I want to share those with you so that you can have a "rock star" year and get the things accomplished that are most important to you. One of the tools I have on hand is McGhee's Productivity Blog. This team of professionals is great at helping business folks look at the big picture.

In setting goals you have to determine your core values. For me in business, these are the questions that answer what is my why? Why do I do what I do for a career? What are my long and short term goals to get what I really want in life? In McGhee's article "Are Your Actions Based on Urgency or Importance" we learn the following: " Meaningful, long-term goals are reached not in one magnificent leap, but through a series of specific, goal-oriented daily efforts. Many people make to-do lists, but they don't base it on anything except urgency - get the car repaired, reply to e-mail, go to the two o'clock meeting. The wheel that squeaks loudest gets the most attention. Consequently, those silent, undemanding tasks end up being largely ignored. It is often those tasks, however, that can have the biggest impact on our lives - spend quality time with family, create a five-year vision, examine new strategies, and so on."

If you think about what really makes you happy in life and where you want to go and be remembered for it's amazing how your goals change for the long term and what short term goals you choose to help you get to that place. For instance, I live off of a task or to do list. I feel productive when I mark things off the list but I don't really see them as stepping stones to my greater goals. Making goals is a great thing to do, but if you don't have a purpose behind those goals that really drive you to your core values you won't feel like you're successful in reaching the next milestone. Check your own to do lists and make sure that whatever you're doing is getting you to the next stop on your personal journey and not just keeping you "busy."