by Nathan Whittacre
I love the end of the year. It gives me time to reflect on the 12 months that have passed and an opportunity to create a vision for the future. I have a few traditions that I’ve created for myself that have helped me succeed in my personal and business goals.
1 – On New Year’s Day, I go on a long run on a trail near where I live and use the time to ground myself in the beauty of the natural world. Running is my way of meditation and being in a natural environment gives me perspective on how small I am in the world (and universe) but also the impact that I can make to those I touch.
2 – I take a few hours to write in my personal journal on a reflection of the good and bad that happened in the last year. This gives me a chance to reflect on my achievements and disappointments. I enjoy this quite time of introspection to make sure that I am on the right path in my own life and if there is anything I need to correct to achieve what I want in this life.
3 – I set personal goals for the next year and translate those into a vision board. These goals are around several different areas of my life, including spiritual, personal relationships, education, physical fitness, financial, and business. I use the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. system of goal setting (more to come on what this is).
4 – I meet with my leadership team at Stimulus Technologies, reflect on our year’s performance and set new goals for the coming year. We use E.O.S. for this process (more to come on this too!).
Reflecting on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)
The EOS serves as the backbone of our goal-setting strategy, providing a comprehensive framework for business success. At its core, EOS encourages the creation of a shared vision, fostering alignment and accountability throughout the organization. The principles of EOS extend beyond the leadership team, creating a synergy between individual team member’s capabilities, their professional objectives, and the company’s vision of the future. By adopting this system, I can instill a sense of purpose, direction, and cohesion within my company. EOS is outlined in the book “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” by Gino Wickman. I highly recommend the book, along with its companion books “What the Heck is EOS?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS” and “Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business”. Whether you decide to use EOS for your business, these set of books set a great outline for running a structured business with a clear path to success.
One of the most important aspects to goal setting is to review the goals often and track the progress on them. As a company, we share the Vision Traction Organizer (VTO) with the whole team. This document includes a 10-year outlook, 3-year plan, 1-year goals, and quarterly objectives (which are called “rocks”). Then we review the quarterly objectives weekly in our management meetings and department team meetings. Each team member must report on if their rocks are on-track or off-track. If they are off-track, it goes on an issue list to discuss how to get it back on track. By having accountability weekly, it ensures that the most important objectives are always top of mind and we’re working on keeping them on-track as a team.
It is fascinating to look back at the end of the year to everything the company has accomplished when we’re all paddling in the right direction.
My One-to-One Dialogue
Do you talk to yourself? I certainly do! One of my most important meetings every month and annually is with myself. I am certainly my harshest critic too. While business success is undoubtedly paramount, I believe the role of personal development in the entrepreneurial journey should not be underestimated. The one-to-one dialogue, a practice I've found indispensable as the CEO, offers a dedicated space for introspection and alignment. By setting personal and professional goals in tandem, I create a harmonious synergy between my individual growth and the success of Stimulus. This introspective practice fosters a holistic approach to my leadership, acknowledging that my personal well-being is intrinsic to effective business management. The whole company looks to me as the leader to guide the organization forward. If I’m personally not 100%, then the company is not either.
S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals: A Blueprint for Success
To lend specificity and clarity to my aspirations, I employ the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goal system. This acronym encapsulates the characteristics of effective goal setting: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Evaluated, and Revised. I believe the mistake many people make by setting “New Year’s Resolutions” and similar goals, is that they don’t have clear plans to achieve them, aren’t specifically measurable, they aren’t time bound, and they don’t look at the goals often enough to stay on track. Over the years, I have done different things to keep my goals top-of-mind, including posting them on my bathroom mirror so I can read them every morning and night as I brush my teeth, to just looking at them monthly in my personal one-to-one. I have found that the more top-of-mind the goals are, the more likely I am to achieve them.
Encouraging a Community of Goal Setters
While individual goal setting is powerful, the true magic happens when it becomes a shared practice within an organization and community. As we embark on this new year, I extend an invitation to all business owners to foster a community of goal setters. Share your journey with your team and in peer-groups, fostering a culture where every member is aligned with an overarching mission. It also provides for self-accountability within the groups and opportunities for celebration when they are achieved. By creating a collective consciousness around goal setting, you amplify the strength and resilience of your organization. It's a unifying force that propels everyone toward a shared vision of success.
Stimulus Technologies can assist you in achieving your business goals in 2024 through technology. Our proven process has helped hundreds of businesses grow exponentially through productivity, security, and efficiency. Find out how by booking an assessment with one of our team members.
