I set annual goals and then break them down into smaller quarterly goals.  

As the quarter progresses, I check in with my accountability partner on how I am doing. Am I on track or not on track? 

I always start out on fire. 

And then something happens, and because I map out my progress to achieve my goals, I know that I start to slide off the track.  

At the end of June, some of my goals were achieved. Others I missed.  

I’m still happy. I’m happy with my progress, and I’m celebrating the wins.  

Would you celebrate if you missed your goal?  

 

The early year failures

If you’ve heard my story in the planning workshops, you likely know that how I do my planning today and how I teach planning are not always how I did things.  

In my corporate life, I was part of the leadership team of a large national insurance company. I was a part of the strategic planning process where we were sent to offsite retreats to set goals and plan for the year.    

This planning process is what I brought with me to my new entrepreneurial world, and I implemented it into our companies and failed big time.  

I planned week-long planning sessions each year. Often I would book a small suite or cottage somewhere, and we would combine a getaway with strategic planning.   At the end of the week, my business partner/husband and I would be frustrated with one another, but we would have a plan. 

Six months later, we would have made very little to zero progress on those goals. Nine months later, we would pack it in and wait for the start of another year to try again.  

Today, I know why our plans failed year after year.   I understand why I saw no forward moment at the end of 12 months and felt like we were stuck.  

I wasn’t celebrating back then.  

Missing 50%

I can’t remember where I read this, but Google misses 50% of the goals they set. Keep in mind that they develop big, challenging goals.  

They have a culture of setting aggressive and big goals. They have a culture of moving fast and failing fast.  

Although 50% of their goals are missed, the other 50% are achieved.  

Their 50% win rate means they are consistently moving forward, learning, adjusting, and succeeding.  

Celebrating the 50% I win!

In the past, I was missing 100% of the goals I set. 

Now, I’m setting my goals quarterly and achieving about 80% of them. Sure, I veer off course and fall behind. However, I know I’m off course quickly and can adjust as needed through my weekly accountability. 

Sometimes, I have to change or adjust my goals because, during the course of working on the goal, new information or changes cause me to re-assess.  

For example, I had chosen a system to host online training courses. During the training and development phase, I realized the chosen solution wouldn’t work, and I had to re-assess that goal. Instead of development, we had to go back to the research phase.  

I love what I have now. It has better integration, and because it is a young company, it’s constantly growing and offering me more.  

Sure, I missed that goal. But through my weekly accountability and check in’s, I was able to identify the needed adjustment, adjust, and then re-plan the next quarter.  

At the end of each quarter, through my review process, we assess what worked and what didn’t. We learn from the successes and the failures.  

The truth is that I’m winning more than I’m failing now.   

That is worth celebrating!  

If you look back on your quarter, disappointed that you didn’t achieve all your goals, take a step back. Look at what you did accomplish. Look at how far you came.  

Moving as far as you did is a win! A 50% win is better than a 100% miss.  

I’m proud of you!  

Winning and losing isn’t everything. Sometimes, the journey is just as important as the outcome.

Alex Morgan