Having No Plan is Planning to Fail

John Maxwell says a leader is one who “Knows the Way, Shoes the Way and Goes the Way”. Part of knowing the way is having an extremely clear understanding of what actions need to occur to drive a specific outcome. It matters absolutely not what stage of the entrepreneurial journey you are in, you simply cannot get ahead by stacking a to-do list a mile long….

…..then beginning to muscle through each task

This trap often feels like going to the grocery store and spending 200 bucks but not coming home with a complete meal! Imagine for a moment that you began to face your day each day committed only to the work- and not to the outcome

Sounds pretty ridiculous right?

Next Generation CEOSs use goal setting each Year, Month, Week and Day to have a clear plan for what needs to get accomplished. Those goals should be crystal clear, able to be measured and accomplished in the period they were set for. It is not realistic to think that you can run 26.2 miles today if you have not been training, nor set the time aside to do so. However, if running a marathon is important to you, it is extremely realistic to set the time aside to run 3 miles today

As soon as you learn the importance of clear goal setting, you’ll be able to free yourself from the constraints of endless work. You don’t have to take my word for it though, just look around at the high performers in your industry and ask them what they think of the power of goal setting. There more you can commit to a high performance methodology, the more clarity you will have in your life and the more you will be able to reap the rewards of your productivity

I accomplish more every single week than I did in a month 5 years ago- And I only work 30 hours per week

There was a point in my life where I read “4-hour work week” and I struggled because I took it so literally- as if Tim Ferris were advocating that every entrepreneur should work 4 hours per week. I didn’t want to only work 4 hours per week, BUT I certainly didn’t want to work 60 either.

What the book, and Tim, likely advocated for was creating a lifestyle that allowed you to live and enjoy other things other than your work. For me that was my children and I just wasn’t willing to miss another soccer game, birthday, parent teacher meeting- in exchange for some misplaced priority.

More importantly, I got super tired of exchanging pleasure today in exchange for benefit tomorrow.

There was a point when I was flying jets and a bad deal was coming down from the personnel command that was going to pull me out of the cockpit.  One of my mentors said “never exchange a bad deal today in exchange for a good deal tomorrow.” I went on to fly jets for another 6 years and took that lesson with me into my entrepreneurial journey. 

There are two steps to how I maintain an incredible level of productivity. 

The first step is I RELIGIOUSLY set goals (In every single one of my business, in my family, and in my personal life).

Then, I am meticulous about executing against those specific goals.  I can tell you right now what the majority of the big muscle movements will be this year.

Each week I know how 80% of my work week will go, then I allow 20% for Crisis management.

Here’s the process that I go through:

1. Previous year Debrief
2. Eulogy Update
3. 10 Year Vision Update
4. 5 Year Vision Update
5. 1 Year Vision Update
6. 1 Year High Level Goals
7. Quarterly Outcomes with Metrics
8. Weekly Priorities

And then I stop.  Each day I review and schedule my day knowing that every single thing that I do will be exactly in line with life’s plan.

It’s meticulous, and it takes time.  Planning a business starts with the end in mind, and so does planning my life.

How to drive MASSIVE results in your life and business

What would it be like if you woke up each morning knowing EXACTLY how to set your priorities and spend your time? It’s as if you were harnessing the exact strategies of high performers like Navy Seals and professional athletes. You see, high performance isn’t about being the strongest or smartest person in the room. High performance is about harnessing a unique set of skills and driving with imperfect action towards a result

In order to have absolute clarity in our business and in our life we have to harness that power. Through methodical goal setting we are able to set a realistic plan to achieve unrealistic results

We win at our business and life when the whole is greater than the sum of its part. The easiest way to understand this is to try to eat a spoonful of flour and see how that tastes. But when I combine that flour with a few key ingredients and give it time to bake- I come out with a yummy treat

In 30 minutes, here’s how you can transition the grind of a determined entrepreneur into that of a next generation CEO

1. Determine the interval.  Don’t make it a year, that’s too long.  What do you hope to achieve in 1-3 months?
   
   
2. Be Specific.  Give it a name or a number of what you hope to achieve
   
   
3. Challenge yourself. Take the outcome and multiply it by 1.5
   For example, if I want to generate 50k in revenue in 3 months, my new number is 75k
   
   
4. Chunk it down.  Break it into 5-6 action items that need to occur in sequence
   
   
5. Give it a date.  Put each of those steps into a calendar that creates accountability for each item
   
   

Here’s the thing about goal setting. The universe doesn’t care about your version of time. If you set your intention you will begin to move with natural energy towards that goal.

Now, imagine yourself already having achieved those massive results. Give yourself an incentive- whether a dinner out, daily vacation, or new car.