Halftime – Maintaining Your Goals

With July in full swing, we are officially halfway through 2014, and with it comes the realization that you only have six months to decide where you want to be when the crystal ball drops on New Year’s Eve. At the start of each year, millions of people create resolutions to become better versions of themselves, and companies are no different. More than likely, you and your team developed goals for 2014 that would take your business to the next level. Whether it’s hitting a sales target, developing a new product, or transitioning into small-business ownership, most of you have set certain goals you want to achieve this year. Regardless of where you are in your pursuit, it’s vital for your team’s success to evaluate where you are at the halfway point of the year.

Take a Halftime

Have you ever watched a football game where one of the teams was trailing by a touchdown or two going into halftime? And just when all hope seemed to be lost, the losing team came out of the locker room and utterly stunned the other team, winning the game. The win can be attributed to the adjustments the coaches and players made at halftime. By evaluating their first-half performance, they came up with a new game plan. Author and speaker John Maxwell tells a similar story of when he observed the University of Tennessee’s women’s basketball team during a halftime break. Maxwell explained that the coach asked his team three questions and made adjustments according to their answers. This game-changing power is just as applicable in business as it is in sports. Take your team aside and spend a few hours evaluating your first half progress by asking these three questions:

1. What did we do right?

The first step in evaluating your company during your halftime meeting is to figure out what your team has done right through the first six months of the year. Review the list of goals you made for the year and take a moment to see where your company is in completing them. Whether you have already achieved them or are continually pursuing these resolutions, now’s the time to reflect on all of the ways you and your team have successfully moved toward their completion. Celebrate success and acknowledge your workers’ hard work.

2. What did we do wrong?

Though it’s never easy to admit fault, realizing where you went wrong is the next step in getting your company on track for success. Remember, this is not a time to point fingers and look for the scape goat. It’s imperative to be constructive with criticism and remain positive. Sometimes it’s impossible to see if a potential solution to a problem is a mistake until it is put into action. Decide what was done wrong and move on to the next question.

3. What will we change?

This may be the most important question you ask your team moving forward. Just like coaches sometimes change the game plan at halftime, you also have the opportunity to make changes for the rest of the year to help your team achieve the goals you set. For everything that was mentioned in the “What did we do wrong?” phase of this evaluation, make a new solution that will help get your business back on track. Goal setting is not an exact science; in fact, it’s almost like predicting the future. Since you have no idea how things will work out, it’s important to be flexible. Don’t be afraid to do a complete overhaul if something isn’t working.

With any organization, planning what you want to achieve is an important part of maintaining a competitive advantage in your market. And though it may seem like a daunting task, taking time halfway through to evaluate where your team is and making adjustments can help ensure you reach your end goal.

How have you faired with your goals so far this year? How do you ensure your team’s success in achieving annual resolutions? Let us know in the comments section below!

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