For me the period from late December through to mid January is my peak goal setting time. As part of my Christmas / New Year break I like to put my feet up a bit and ponder. I love to take the opportunity to reflect and project. Then, as I go into the new calendar year, I have some clear goals for the year. One or two goals had been set earlier, such as in 2024 having three separate overseas trips totalling 11 weeks. With travel being so popular, you have to plan a long way ahead to get the bookings you want!
As part of my pondering I update my business plan which includes identification of both personal and business goals. That’s where those overseas trips come in. For Kate and me, our travel is so important – we just love exploring other parts of the world and seeing how other people live and the many amazing natural and human created sights around the world. I want a business that supports this, not get in the way of it!
As an aside, my business is small but my business plan is 44 pages, which I then distil to a single page summary which is what I look at most often. I enjoy the discipline that the longer plan forces on me. It gives me a structure to methodically assess and reassess different elements of my business and the environment I work in.
Many of you are aware I’m a big fan of goal setting. In July 2021 I wrote an article – Is goal setting useful? Drawing on the research I did with some colleagues in our Master of Business Coaching degree, I concluded that goal setting is very useful when done well. In September 2021 I wrote an article sharing three models to help you set goals. If you’ve not read these already please click on the hyperlinks and have a look now.
Here are some questions I like to ask at year end and/or early in the new year. I’ve put some preliminary responses from me to help you with your own thinking. I won’t finish until mid January but some things have already become obvious!
Reflect on the year that has been
| Question | My example response |
| What has worked well?
|
Scheduling well in advance – for me that includes the many group meetings that occur quarterly and my Manager Development Program twice per year. Most importantly that includes holiday travel for Kate and me. My cycle of planning is done yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily. |
| What am I proud of? | Having had a positive impact in some way on 146 accounting firms in 2023 through working with them individually, as part of one of the Accountants Peer Groups, or through them having participants in my Manager Development Program. |
| What would I do differently? | Need more time on this one! |
| What did I learn? | When the pressure is on I am up to the task!
Not a new thing but the year reinforced that I love working with accountants because they are good people who want to help others. |
Project the year ahead
| Question | My example response |
| What will I start doing? | Re-start my nightly back exercises |
| What will I stop doing? | Putting off the above exercises!
Not getting out my monthly newsletter. |
| What will I do more of? | Group meetings in QLD
Article writing to support monthly newsletter sharing |
| What will I do less of? | A bit less domestic travel – in 2023 I had 122 domestic flights! |
| What do I want to achieve? |
|
These are great questions to ask both of yourself as an individual and then also to consider for your business. Get the team involved and share what you all come up with. As a business owner you might be surprised by what your team say.
I’m sharing this background with you as part of encouraging you to do something similar.
Think about what you’d like to achieve in 2024 both personally and business wise.
Set some goals, (a small number) write them down, tell key people about them and then get on with achieving them.