The Much Anticipated Part Deux!
We’re all getting better in 2024, and I’ve already been feeling better about things. My goal for this week is to effectively communicate these goals to you and give a head start on achieving them. Enough with the meta conversation though, let’s dive back in!
2024 Goals - Part 2
We’ve been looking at all the amazing things the community wants to accomplish this year, and it’s really impressive. We covered the first installation two weeks ago, so let’s keep the party going and check out the next installment of 2024 goals!
Financial Goals and Profitability
In addition to general business growth, there are a lot of goals I’m seeing that are specifically related to financial success. Some of these might be about revenue targets, profit margins, or quarterly performance. This might be the single most common goal for any business, but it’s also one of the hardest to pin down.
Like achievements related to business growth, you need to figure out exactly what you want to accomplish. But that’s just one step, because more money isn’t going to appear in your account overnight. You have to analyze what is stopping you from already being where you want to be. If you can’t take on any more work, look at your staffing levels. If margins are too slim, examine what the competitors are charging and what makes sense to charge. If overhead is too high, see if there are any costs that can be eliminated.
Leadership and Team Development
The Bureau is full of excellent leaders, and what impresses me the most is that they want to be even better. A lot of you are searching for ways to become more effective leaders, developing the skills that will lead the shop to better performance. Some take it a step farther and want to build strong teams.
These are some of my favorite goals, and there are countless ways to go about them. One thing that works for a lot of people is to give yourself small daily tasks that add up over time. It might be giving a compliment to a team member or checking in on one project team. You can also identify a single skill, like empathy or communication, and find an appropriate training course that will help strengthen it. You might try working on one smaller goal per quarter.
Work-Life Balance and Personal Fulfillment
Another goal has little to do with the business itself and more to do with how it affects your life: finding that ever-elusive work/life balance that seems to exist only in the first fifteen minutes of rom-coms.
Seriously, though, it is possible to make this happen, but it requires discipline. You need to set boundaries, or your work will be just like another unhealthy, demanding relationship in your life. If you can’t truly leave work at the door at the end of the day, set aside a small amount of time later in the evening to put out any fires, rather than answering emails every five minutes. You also need to regularly take time to more completely unplug, leaving things in those capable hands you worked so hard to train. This will make you much more effective in the time you’re at the office. The best balance involves real separation.
And that makes seven! Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion next week, when we’ll look at the final three of our 2024 goals.
Seeing the resolve of the Bureau community every day is absolutely humbling. You are an amazing group of people, and you make me realize there’s always more I can accomplish. I hope you’ll find the right goals to work on -- thanks to you, I know I will.