Yesterday, the Leadership team got together for our quarterly off-site and reviewed our progress toward reaching our annual goals. A lot of the discussion was about what was “most important” for the business.

Reaching goals isn’t something that just happens. It takes consistent and concerted effort, accountability and a focus on the specific inputs required to achieve the desired objective(s). For example, our quarterly priorities (rocks) were all selected to support our annual goals, which were developed from our three-year plan. These are not just random tasks that we came up with for this quarter, they are very aligned to the big picture. These sessions are essential to ensuring that we are on track each quarter and give us the latitude to re-prioritize where necessary to meet our goals and objectives.

If you’ve set a goal(s) for yourself– whether personal or professional, now is the time to prioritize it and establish the specific steps that you will take to reach it or make progress. Otherwise, as time goes by and you begin to realize that the year is almost half over, you may perceive your goal to be unobtainable and your motivation will decrease.

The key to reaching a goal is prioritization, momentum and taking small steps. This year I decided to mimic our quarterly planning process and created quarterly tasks in support of my annual goals. I then shared my goals with those whom I know will hold me accountable (peers, family, mentors, coaches). The key is to break down big goals into tangible, everyday steps.

And if you struggle with accountability, remember that writing in a journal each day or using the Five Minute Journal is a great way to hold yourself accountable and keep on track. If you need an accountability partner, I invite you to send me your goals and I will do my best to help you stay on track by checking in.

Have a great weekend!