It’s really difficult to plan for much right now. The goal posts keep changing. You think of three different scenarios, plan for them, and a fourth scenario transpires. You make assumptions based on what you know today, but tomorrow everything changes. We simply don’t know what to expect in the medium-term, let alone long-term.
So, what’s happening is that no one is achieving anything they set out to achieve, because the goals and the plans have to be re-engineered all the time. Successful business owners are results-driven, and results-driven people don’t take kindly to not achieving goals. There’s a lot of frustrated business owners out there right now. So, what can we do?
Our short-term plans need to be shorter, and our long-term plans need to be longer.
Here’s the rationale behind my thinking…
Long(er)-term plans
If our long-term plans get pushed out slightly, there is no reason why we can’t still achieve them. One day when we look back, the time we are going through now will be a blip on the radar screen… it will be a short period of time when things went a bit crazy. But they will return to normal. Even if it’s a new type of normal. Long-term goals might be delayed by 6-12 months, or more, but don’t give up on them. It’s ok if you reach those goals a little later than you originally thought.
It’s also ok if you change your long-term goals. Covid-19 has forced me to rethink about what I want from my business. This new vision and plan is getting me excited about what is possible and driving me to do new, different tasks daily, that I had not thought of before.
Don’t make any plans or set any goals for the immediate future. Don’t get bogged down in the here and now. Think big and long-term, and as you start adjusting to the new way of doing business, your daily decisions and strategies will fall into place to reach that long term target.
Short(er)-term goals
On the flip side, we should be looking at changing our 90-day plans to 90-hour plans! What goals can you set to achieve in the next two weeks, that are unlikely to be impeded by whatever surprising announcement is made in the next few days? Literally, break down your plan to daily tasks that you can tick off your list, one small bite at a time. This will ensure that you are moving forward all the time, even if they are baby steps. Progress is achievement, achievement is success, and success breeds success.
Business Unusual
The old way of doing things is not relevant right now. Instead of being on stand-by waiting for things to return to the way they were, think of different ways to do things. We simply can’t stay in limbo for this long. At some point, we need to get back to “business as usual” or “business unusual”, but we all need business and we can’t all put everything on hold until better days. What can you do today, that will put your business in a better position by 5pm this afternoon?
Let’s all forget those medium term plans and our 1 year goals. If we focus on the long(er) term and short(er) term goals, we will get through this and be back on track sooner than we think.
If you need a chat, I am available. I might just say one thing that points you in the right direction and gets your mojo back. Let’s do it.
