Big goals, small wins

It’s good to be ambitious in business and think big. Aim to offer at least 10 times more than the status quo because in today’s world you need to be remarkable to stand a chance.

In terms of your goals, think about these being so big that you are unlikely to achieve in your lifetime. Big goals are more likely to inspire you, your market and your team.

But, the danger is that these goals can feel so far away and we don’t experience the joy of achievement.

Ticking things off your to-do list is great but how long does the feeling last?

One way you can increase you and your team’s sense of achievement, motivation and productivity is to celebrate small wins. Small wins are the tiny steps toward the bigger goals. And, research shared in the book The Progress Principle show that when people see they are making progress each step of the way they become more productive.

The research supports the case that people are much happier, more creative and productive when they can see progress on their goals from much smaller daily and weekly steps.

So, there are two things you can do to in your business:

• Make sure everyone sees the progress you are making every step of the way.
• Make time reflect and celebrate your progress

Don’t just review your to-do list. Take a few minutes each week to review your done-list and ask:

• What tasks did I complete this week?
• What did I learn?

Putting structure to this process with software will help ensure it happens. You could use a survey tool and include responses in your weekly team meeting. And, this can be used to help you define your culture by say we:

• Acknowledge and praise our accomplishments
• Share our learnings in a knowledge bank
• Are willing to be held accountable for our agreed tasks and actions
• Openly share our challenges and ask for help

When was the last time you and your team acknowledged your small wins?