As I share more of my own personal experiences in my Wednesday Wisdom posts, I’m hearing more often from people who tell me “there might be an idea in there for a Wednesday Wisdom.” Recently, my own coach told me: “You need to write about that.”
He wanted me to write about the fact that I recently adjusted my business goals for 2020 – just 3 days into the new year. When we had our last coaching call of 2019, I explained my goals and rational behind them. AND, most importantly, my plan to achieve them. It was a great discussion and I felt confident that my goals were realistically challenging, achievable, measurable, etc., all the things that goals are “supposed” to be.
But an interesting thing happened between coaching calls. I took a deeper look at the data I collect regarding my coaching, consulting and speaking business, and I noticed a trend that I hadn’t spotted before. I had a decision to make: Do I keep my 2020 goals or adjust them? Was this new information just a distraction or should I use it to adjust the goals I had previously outlined to my coach?
After careful consideration, I decided to adjust my goals. When I presented my adjusted business goals to my coach, he had only one question: Why? I explained that after a deeper dive into my business’s past performance, I was no longer comfortable with my plan. I was a bit anxious about what my coach’s response might be, as I didn’t want to appear wavering in my commitment to growing my business.
His positive response confirmed that I’d made the right choice. We talked about how important it was to be flexible, and, when appropriate, to consider new data. We also talked about how tempting it is to be rigid and unwavering in an attempt to communicate confidence and optimism, often as a way to protect the ego.
I’m sure that many of you have faced a similar dilemma. There is always new information to consider. Sometimes that information validates a previous decision and other times it confirms the need to reconsider a plan of action. In my case, I would have preferred to be correct in my initial goal-setting, but I knew – even though 2020 had barely begun – that I had to adjust my plan in order to reach my goals.
How about you? What information do you use to validate that you’re on the right track to hit your goals? What information would you need to reconsider a previous goal or course of action?
Need some help with the process? Give me a call!
-Holly
