Strategic Planning Tools: Using Three Key Motivational Tactics
Running a small or home-based business requires a deliberate choreography of steps moving toward a unified goal. If you choose to run your own business, you need an “autopilot” mechanism to keep you on “course” during those times when you need to take your “eyes” off the road. When your motivation wanes, you need some autopilot mechanism to help ease the mental burden of “taking over the show” without sacrificing timing, direction, and momentum. Motivation provides the fuel that drives your strategic planning. Here are a few more tactics to help you “stay the course” even when taking a “time out” to nurture doubts, regain your composure, or simply recover from the inevitable mental fatigue.
1) Avoid “Metrics” Overload: Your strategic planning needs indicators of progress and success to lead the way to your intended goal. Look for performance indicators or “metrics” that you can understand. Start with performance indicators that are accepted by your competition, your peers, or your niche industry; the number of widgets sold, the number of articles written, the number of page views, etc. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Choose indicators that provide different prospects for success EARLY; the number of ad impressions, the number of sales conversions, etc. Some simple metrics mean easier milestones to achieve. Avoid changing or adding metrics once you’ve decided on a strategy and have started implementing your plan. Avoid changes or additional metrics, especially when the “field is in motion.”
2) Recalibrate lost focus: Good metrics provide frequently updated performance information; your progress and your speed. Although the milestones are not a “leading indicator” of performance, they will alert you to evolving trends (for example, slower speed) that could indicate a loss of focus. Alter the “motivational distance” between milestones (completed tasks) periodically. You don’t need to measure a goal in terms of units; “measure” the output over time or as a percentage of gain. Similarly, temporarily switching from percentage measures to single units can “relieve” performance pressure and improve motivation without sacrificing progress and direction.
3) Check Progress Regularly: The more “achievable” a project’s milestones are, the easier it will be to “switch to autopilot” and “just stick with the plan.” A good business plan carefully choreographs each small task into a simple path that leads to the intended goal. The stereotypical entrepreneur finds relief from stress (eg, self-doubt, impatience, mental fatigue) by “working” rather than “thinking” his plan. The biggest motivational benefit of marking progress on his path is having a simple measure of “how far he’s come” versus “how short is the distance to his goal.”
The mental game in strategic planning is the motivational component that underlies the best practices of an entrepreneur. Running a successful home-based business requires a strong foundation. An excellent strategy is based on simple performance indicators and strong motivational principles.