How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

You’re running a successful business – and you know that having a sound plan with measurable objectives is the best way to grow it. For example, when creating your strategic plan for next year, you probably included some sort of an over-arching growth objective like “grow top-line revenue by X percent over the next 12 months.”

Long-term growth goals like these are absolutely essential to establishing a clear direction for your business activities. To your employees, however, achieving them can seem like a daunting task – kind of like eating an elephant.

As a leader, it’s your job to help your employees “eat elephants” one bite at a time – by breaking down massive goals into smaller ones that are shorter-term and less intimidating. Because when it comes right down to it, strategic goals are achieved by picking away at them each day, one task at a time.

So, what’s the best way to devour your company’s “elephant”? Today, Exact Staff shares three tips for achieving your growth objectives in 2016:

Get Specific

You may know that you want to increase revenue by a certain dollar amount or percentage, but how does that translate into your employees’ daily activities? Take that growth goal and create an exact plan, which includes monthly and quarterly targets, to keep your team on track throughout the year. Smaller, shorter-term, time-specific milestones give your strategic goal structure and keep employees from feeling overwhelmed.

Find Ways to Create Momentum

When you set a massive, long-term goal, inertia can be the biggest obstacle to attaining it. To get your team moving, set some easy goals (like holding a brainstorming session, conducting some research or analyzing your sales data) which can be achieved quickly and with minimal effort. Why? When employees have frequent, early success, it creates a snowball effect. Their initial success leads to commitment and hard work, which ultimately fuels future success.

Stay Organized

To stay on track throughout the year, revisit your goals regularly. Hold weekly meetings to review your team’s progress toward your growth objectives:

• Check off short-term goals you’ve completed
• Discuss successes and challenges your staff is experiencing
• Determine gaps or obstacles to hitting your goal
• Adjust course (i.e., revise short-term goals) when necessary

Need Talented People to Fuel Your Growth in 2016?

Whether you’re increasing top-line revenue, launching new products or services, or targeting new industries, Exact Staff can supply the right talent for your local or national staffing needs. Contact a recruiter today to discuss your requirements.