How to Balance Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

I love the vibes of a new year, but a lot of goal-setting systems are either too hustle-y or too woo-woo. I've discovered a more balanced philosophy… ✨ Calm Ambition ✨ After dealing with a couple of burnout cycles, a few years ago I realized that even though I liked my work, I rarely felt good while doing it. I was either in a super ambitious state and feeling behind, or I was in a slower, calmer period where I very quickly got bored and restless. It was a pendulum that spent almost no time at or close to equilibrium. It caused me to set the wrong goals, and learn the wrong lessons when they failed. Purely ambitious goals might be big, but feel empty and ego-driven: 🧨 Make $100 million. 🧨 Be on a fancy Forbes list. 🧨 Grow the team to 100 employees. Ambition is great but it needs a buffer. Calm, but not ambitious goals, ultimately don’t get you closer to doing what you want to do in the long term. They can look like: 💤 Taking time off without a plan. 💤 Passively waiting to see what happens. 💤 Neglecting the uncomfortable stuff like sales. Calm and rest are great, but they lack a sense of growth and purpose. In my experience, neither the purely ambitious nor purely calm approach lasts very long. The calm and not ambitious approach feels great in the short term, but if you have ideas and dreams, it ultimately becomes boring and small. The ambitious but not calm approach is exciting and bold, but it leads to burnout and life meltdowns. The answer is striving for a balance between the two. Here’s how you can integrate this calm ambitious approach to setting goals: 1. Increase your goal horizon to move towards a more patient, larger vision. ❌ Instead of: Make $1K per day. ✅ Try: Increase revenue every quarter this year. 2. Make a goal around strengthening your networks of friends, mentors and allies who motivate and inspire you. ❌ Instead of: Seeing others in your industry as your competition. ✅ Try: Every week, I’ll block 1 hour to stay in touch with industry friends. 3. Prioritize profitability over growth rate. ❌ Instead of: Grow LinkedIn followers 20% month over month. ✅ Try: Increase profit per team member year over year. 4. Make specific plans to rest and recharge. ❌ Instead of: Take off every other Friday. ✅ Try: Go on a hike/to the spa/make art, etc 2 times a month, starting on Jan 19th. 5. In addition to strictly outcome goals (e.g. revenue), also set goals around actions you can control. ❌ Instead of: 100 sign ups for our new program. ✅ Try: Every week, I’ll reach out to 20 prospects. When you look at your current or potential goals for 2024, are they calm and ambitious? 📆 If you want to further explore goal setting and business growth through a calm and ambitious lens, I’m hosting a free annual planning workshop on January 9th and you’re invited! You’ll leave with a clear plan for growing your business in 2024 and meet other calm and ambitious founders to conspire with. 🔗 Link in the comments.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday 🧠 - The Wizard of Westwood "Long-Term Success Requires Short-Term Focus." - John Wooden 🏀 This quote resonates deeply with me as a leader. It's a reminder that while we must keep our eyes on the big picture and long-term goals, achieving them requires us to break them down into smaller, manageable steps. Here's how this applies to leadership: ~Set clear, short-term goals: Don't just define the mountaintop; chart the basecamps along the way. Break down large initiatives into smaller, more manageable milestones with clear deadlines. This makes the journey less daunting and provides a sense of accomplishment as each goal is reached. 🎯 ~Prioritize and delegate effectively: As a leader, your time and energy are precious resources. Identify the most critical tasks that require your direct attention and delegate the rest to capable team members. This not only frees you up to focus on strategic priorities but also empowers your team and fosters their growth. 🤝 ~Maintain consistent progress: Acknowledge and celebrate each milestone achieved, no matter how small. This reinforces positive momentum and keeps your team motivated and engaged. Recognize individual and collective efforts to foster a culture of appreciation and continuous improvement. 🎉 ~Stay adaptable and adjust as needed: The business landscape is constantly evolving. Be prepared to re-evaluate priorities, adjust strategies, and even pivot completely if necessary. Encourage feedback, embrace new information, and foster a culture of agility within your team to navigate unforeseen challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities. 🔄 By concentrating on the present and taking consistent action, we can build a strong foundation for long-term success. This means being fully engaged in the "now," making the most of each day, and consistently taking steps - however small - towards our goals. This approach not only drives progress but also creates a sense of purpose and fulfillment along the way. Book Recommendation: "The Score Takes Care of Itself" by Bill Walsh 📖 This book, by the legendary coach of the San Francisco 49ers 🏈 , isn't just about football. It's a masterclass in leadership and organizational culture. Walsh emphasizes the importance of meticulous planning, disciplined execution, and a relentless focus on the fundamentals. He advocates for building a strong organizational culture based on shared values and a commitment to excellence. "The Score Takes Care of Itself" is a powerful reminder that sustainable success comes from focusing on the process, not just the outcome. #leadership #wisdom #success #goals #focus #motivation #inspiration #wordsofwisdom

How to balance results NOW vs EVEN BETTER results later. The Pilot Method: Balancing short-term goals to long-term transformation is a dilemma every leader faces. If we focus too much on the NOW, we’re likely to miss opportunities to create exponential future results. If we focus too much on the FUTURE, we’re likely to miss our short-term revenue or growth targets. Here’s how I use pilots to account for both: Look, I’m always willing to consider decisions that may mean short-term hits to revenue targets or growth goals IF they align with our strategy. If they do and they’ve been well-thought-out and calculated, I’m often of the mindset, “Let’s try it.” Now, using the example of my time at Baker Tilly, I wouldn’t roll out a new initiative we wanted to test to all 5,000+ team members. Instead, I’d use a pilot approach. I’d pick a practice to be my pilot group. The rest of the organization continues marching toward our goals as usual. Within the single practice, we implement the change. Could be: - A new CRM or tech platform - A 4-day work week - A new sales process - A new client service model With this approach, I’ve limited the exposure of the change. If it goes well, we can roll it out to the entire organization with increased confidence it will accelerate our progress toward our long-term goals. If it doesn’t go as hoped, I’ve limited the impact and the organization as a whole is still likely to hit our short-term goals. Then, on to the next pilot. This is one way I go about balancing results NOW while striving for EVEN BETTER results later. #strategy #growth