I have always been a dreamer and an optimist. In my youth, no matter what went wrong, I was always able to see some glimmer of light ahead and I continued to bumble along, often by accident stumbling into the light. That was until the day I told a close friend that I was going to buy an offshore sailing yacht one day. I was 23 years old and a student in my final year. She just laughed and said “Len, you are such a dreamer!”. And that ended that conversation.
However, it rankled, and somewhat annoyed me to be dismissed like that. About a year later, after being employed for a while, I suspect my boss was less than patient with my well-meaning but unplanned way of working. He introduced me to goal setting, identifying clear and measurable actions to achieve the goals, regularly monitoring progress and updating goals or actions when necessary.
Three years later I had saved up enough money to make a substantial down payment on my first (small) offshore yacht which, after renovating, I launched eight months later in East London Harbour (South Africa).
Throughout my working life I have put the habit of goal setting to good use. As a business consultant, I have found it to be a very valuable tool in my toolbox. It has helped many business owner clients move their businesses toward their goals, far quicker than ‘bumbling along’.
Call or e-mail me for a free introduction to Setting, Reviewing & Achieving - Business Goals and Actions.