You’ve probably drafted a business plan, or at least some form of one. You also probably know what you must accomplish today or this week. But what ties those two together? That is, what connects your big business goals and your detailed daily tasks? Do you and your team know your Purpose, Values, Goals and Quarterly Objectives & KPIs?
When it comes to small business planning, companies tend to take one of three approaches to preparation and execution:
- They wing it. These are the companies that operate without a strategic business plan and without any specific goals.
- They create a plan, then leave it in the drawer. These companies are savvy and motivated enough to create a business plan, but it might have been a one-off project or they only revisit it yearly. And that plan tends to stay in the drawer for the entire year — or maybe even forever.
- They bring it all together. These are the companies that understand planning is only the beginning. Creating a solid plan and business goals is the easy part. Figuring out how to weave this plan into your daily routines, executing on goals and holding one another accountable is where the rubber meets the road.
If you want to steer the strategic direction of your company, you must break down your yearly business goals into attainable quarterly objectives and assign responsibility.
Here’s a very simple yet effective tactic we use at Human Marketing to ensure our plans and values don’t get lost in the daily bustle:
Creating Your 1-Page Quarterly Guideline
Dissecting your yearly goals into actionable deliverables eases the intimidation factor and centers your team on shared objectives. Accomplishing your big hairy goals starts with creating a simple one-page quarterly guideline.
This one-page business guideline should include the following sections:
- Purpose & Values: These are pretty self-explanatory. You better have a higher purpose and value system your company lives by. Otherwise, your company is destined for mediocrity. After all, the best people performing the best work don’t work with companies that lack purpose, values and culture.
- 1-Year Goals: Set up your one-year goals. These are the top 3–5 goals you deem most important for your company to get to the next level.
- Q1 Goals: You should outline quarterly goals that support your 1-year goals and assign these to specific people in the organization.
- My Committed Q[x] Deliverables: These are the deliverables you commit to delivering each quarter to drive home the quarterly and 1-year goals.
- My Committed Q1 KPIs: These are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that you agree on achieving within the quarter to support your deliverables and quarterly goals.
- Reward: Last but not least, the reward! Pick a reward for hitting your quarterly goals and put a picture in the plan for a visual reminder that everyone can look forward to when you crush your goals!
Sections 4 & 5 should be personalized, but the first three will remain the same for each team member.
Once your team has drafted personalized quarterly guidelines, place these prominently on each employee’s desk. Having this physical, visual reminder of your organization's business goals each day will be far more impactful than filing away your goals electronically where your team may never see them.
A couple hours could mean the difference between reaching company milestones that move the needle and falling into a dangerous cycle of complacency. Get started on your one-page quarterly objectives today, and make every day count!
