Setting Clear Business Goals and Staying Focused | The Hartford

With your vision in place, next set clear goals and work steadily toward achieving these goals. Your business objectives should be specific, achievable, relevant and measurable. Set short-term and long-term goals. Be sure to keep track of your progress.

Set clear goals

Everyone and every business needs goals. Make sure yours are S-M-A-R-T ones. They should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based. Set goals, and have your staff set goals, that are targeted to the short term as well as longer periods, such as three to five years from now. Your steady progress on shorter-term goals could create momentum and help you reach your longer-term goals.

Monitor and measure your progress

Goals are important to focus on and work towards achieving. To keep them relevant and get the most from the process of setting goals, it’s helpful to monitor your progress regularly and measure your performance. Conducting quarterly reviews is a good habit or practice for the company, each department and each employee to undergo. Regular quarterly reviews don’t need to take long, but they can help to keep your team on target and working together.

Revise your goals regularly as necessary

As you track your progress toward your goals, you might see that certain ones are no longer relevant or achievable. Be flexible and open to adapting to the situation. Don’t give up or make your revised goals too easy. Try to keep them realistic and reasonable.