“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”~Mark Twain
Big Hairy Audacious Goals. I often coach and coax my clients towards setting these goals for themselves – the ones that alternately excite and scare them – and then I coach them through breaking down these goals into things that they can actually do.
I recently was taking a client through this process. She knew what she wanted – that was very clear to her. However, whenever she set out her goal she found herself nearly running in the other direction. It seemed too big, too scary, too insurmountable, and instead of taking a stab and failing, she would give up before she even gave it a go.
As a team of two we sat with her goal…and broke it down into small, doable steps. One day all she had to do was make a list; the next day her task was to make three phone calls. Each day she had a job, a task – something that seemed entirely possible to her. It might be a challenge, but still she could see that she could do it…and that by accomplishing each of these actions steps she would move, albeit slowly at times, towards her goal.
What we want, in the long run, might seem Big, Hairy, and Audacious. However, when we take this desire and chop it up into small bites that we can accomplish, we find ourselves moving towards our final destination. That’s the secret.
Set your BHAG – and break it down into smaller bits that you can do. Now do them.
Where are you frozen by the hugeness of what you’re trying to accomplish? How can you break it down into manageable pieces?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For support in breaking down, and reaching, your goals contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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