GNT #074: New goal. Now what? How I hit the ground running 🏃‍♀️

read time: 3.5 minutes

Last week I was in a quarterly leadership offsite planning session with one of my clients.

It was a stellar session.

We dug deep and aligned on key goals for the coming quarter that aligned with our one-year and ambitious 10-year growth objectives. We left feeling confident about our path.

I sat down at my desk the next day, still jazzed from the energy of the meeting, but the weight and reality of what it would take to actually meet the goal started to set in.

Over the years, I've come to know this feeling well.

It's something we all feel when we set a goal, even in our personal life. 

We're determined.
We're all in.
But, how the heck are we going to get there?

What you do immediately after setting a goal matters.

It determines whether you embark on a bunch of random acts or a well thought out plan that leads to you checking off that goal.

✅

Today, I'm sharing a tool I use with my clients called the Goal Pyramid, developed by Dr. Edwin Locke, and showing you how to use it to tackle any goal.

Here we go.

The Goal Pyramid: Your Blueprint for Kicking-Off Any Goal

You can draw this pyramid on a piece of paper, a whiteboard, or create a digital page with four sections.

Here’s how it works:

1. Set a SMART Goal

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (SMART) goals turn your broad vision into a precise target. If you can't see it precisely, you're never going to hit it.

Example: Instead of saying, "I want to grow my business," say, "I want to increase my revenue by 20% within the next six months by expanding our online marketing efforts."

Why it works: Clarity and focus. A SMART goal gives you a clear destination and criteria for success.
 

2. Develop Your Strategy

This is where you use your unique skills, expertise, and creativity to craft one or more strategies related to the goal to guide your efforts. This is one of the most important pieces, so make sure not to rush through this step!

Example: To increase revenue, we will enhance our social media presence along with integrated account-based marketing, optimize our website for conversions, and launch a new email marketing campaign.

Why it works: Strategies provide a roadmap. They ensure your effort is aligned.

3. Create Your Execution Plan

List the tactics and processes you’ll use to implement your strategies.

Example: For your social media strategy, create a content calendar, schedule regular posts, engage with followers, or run targeted ads.

Why it works: Execution plans break down your strategies into actionable steps, making large tasks manageable.

4. Identify Resources

Determine what tools, people, or budget you need to achieve your goal.

Example: You might need to hire a social media manager, invest in marketing software, or allocate budget for advertising.

Why it works: Identifying resources early ensures you have everything you need to execute your plan, helping to avoid roadblocks.
 

The Pyramid in Practice

The Goal Pyramid isn't just for teams, I recently worked with a coaching client who wanted to get more leads for his solo consulting practice.

We used the Goal Pyramid to transform his broad goal into a SMART one.

SMART GOAL
"Generate 10 new leads in three months through optimizing my LinkedIn profile, creating value-driven content, targeted LinkedIn engagement and outreach, and hosting webinars based on the challenges my customers approach me with."

STRATEGY

1. LinkedIn Profile Optimization: Enhance my LinkedIn profile to attract the right audience by updating my headline, highlighting my expertise, adding featured links, and including relevant keywords.
2. Content Creation: Prepare and schedule valuable content 3x per week at 8am Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, that addresses common challenges faced by my potential clients.
3. LinkedIn Engagement & Outreach: Engage, comment, connect, and DM my target market contacts in my geographic focus.
4. Webinars: Host monthly webinars to educate and attract interest.

EXECUTION PLAN

He laid out a simple plan in excel to stay on track with all the details!

RESOURCES

Tools: LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Zoom, HubSpot, Calendly

I'm happy to share he not only met his goal but exceeded it - achieving 16 new leads in three months!

Your Turn

You can apply the Goal Pyramid to your work or personal goals.

It's a great jumping off point to bring structure and clarity to your goal-setting process.

And relieve some of that emotional weight after setting a goal. 

😉

Need help with your goal pyramid? I'm a click away.

Happy strategizing.

See you next week!

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