A Winning Strategy For Your Next Goal
Have you ever played Stratego?
It’s a board game that my classmates and I used to play in 5th grade when we had downtime and our work was “finished.”
I loved everything about it. You can set up your pieces any way you’d like. This varies depending on how aggressive or conservative you wanted to play. It also changes based on who your opponent is.
On a slightly more embarrassing note, my children (ages 7 and 9) have been teaching me how to play chess.
I knew at one point in my life but have since forgotten.
But now, when we play, I notice that each of my girls have a different strategy to their game.
As any good opponent would, I adjust how I play based on who I play. And yes, I win.
In our previous post, we discussed how to really get specific with your next goal. Now, we’re looking at how to be strategic in our approach.
With over a decade of experience in leadership, I can tell you that building a sustainable system for your goals not only elevates what you produce but also how you navigate the process.
I love systems and I love strategy. Strategic thinking is one of my top 5 strengths in my Strengths Finder. Chances are, whether you’re strategic or not, you probably have an idea of what needs to be done in order to get your goal accomplished. I’m not here to tell you exactly what you need to do. I am here to come alongside you by helping develop a system that works.
Using our strategy from last time, you should have your most urgent and important goal of the day in front of you.
You’re looking at it and wanting to get it done!
Let’s break down the 3 remaining quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix and apply this system/rhythm into our lives.
How to Plan:
Put it down: Accessibility.
Write down ALL the steps you need to take. Even the little ones. There is something refreshing and energizing about crossing off steps on your to-do list. It makes your goals feel accessible and it can drive you to keep moving forward.
Put it out: Accountability.
Share what you are working on. “Where there is no accountability, there is no responsibility.” - someone smarter than me. Motivation can often be stirred on by knowing someone is going to ask you the simple question, “how’s it going?” There’s also a highly valuable lesson in that there are people who may want to help you. They can’t help if they’re out of the loop.
How to Delegate:
Share your Tasks: Flexibility.
If it’s not something only you can do, pass it on. I’ll admit - I’m not as flexible as I’d like to be. Yoga helps. [ba dum tss]. Sometimes, I have a hard time handing things off. When I do, it involves more people and can get messy. Because people are messy and complicated and have their own way of doing things that may not be exactly how I want them to be done. But. If they can move a piece another step closer, freeing me up to get back to the things only I can do when it pertains to this goal… we all win.
Strengthen your Team: Feasibility.
Become an overseer without being overwhelming. You may not have a team around you in the sense of paid employees. For instance, some of my life goals involve my family team. Our “teams” want to be wanted. Whether you’re leading a team in a corporate setting or your next goal involves renovating your bathroom, your team will be involved. How you involve them matters. Give them opportunity. Help build their confidence and competence by giving feasible pieces of the project to check off the list. Make sure it’s something that can be accomplished, check-in on their productivity, and give honest, encouraging feedback as they help!
How to Eliminate:
Trash it: Resolvability.
“Just say no” to time wasters. Let’s face it, there’s plenty that sounds great or looks great on paper that just does not translate into reality. In order to achieve our goals in timely, effective ways, we have to have the resolve to decide what we do away with. In the past, I have been notorious for working endless hours on tasks that did not take me closer to my goal. In fact, with that time, I could have accomplished those goals 5 times over. Maybe you can relate? If it’s not getting you closer - it should not be getting your time.
Building and utilizing a system for your tasks will help you achieve more goals, more often.
If you’ve been frustrated with the not hitting your goals, give these a try.
***Do NOT miss our next post on protecting your time - We can pick a target and plan our tactics, but our time and energy is what gets us there!