The topic for this month, for our newsletter and blogs, is “Lifting the Pandemic Curtain.” During the pandemic, it was as if much activity—business and even life—was occurring behind a curtain, and we couldn’t tell exactly what was happening. Now that the curtain has lifted—much like in The Wizard of Oz—we can see what’s going on.
Business and sales goal progress is now in plain view, whereas during the pandemic, it was hidden behind the curtain and was somewhat uncertain.
Statuses of Goal Achievement
While target and goal achievement can often be viewed as rather complex affairs, if you take a long step back, you’ll realize that any such achievement falls into only one of three statuses, regardless of whether the target is weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly:
- Ahead, which is the most desirable of the three statuses. Being ahead leaves you leeway for further strategy and planning to take even more of a lead.
- Behind, in which a target or goal is off of its achievement path. This, of course, is the least desirable of the three statuses, and nobody likes it, especially sales and company leadership. It can require almost emergency measures to get back on target. Staff jump into action not only to do a good job, but also fearful that their jobs are in danger.
- On target, which is desirable, although not as desirable as being ahead of the target or goal. Being on-target means you must constantly strive to stay there, whereas being ahead can give you the breathing room to ensure you stay on target or ahead of target.
When the Curtain Was Down
During the pandemic, often companies were only sometimes aware of how they were progressing on a target. This primarily occurred due to employees working remotely and the reports of target status sometimes coming in late. Also because they were remote, staff could falsely bolster target status, so a business might think they were doing better than they were.
Additionally, because they were receiving government stimulus payments, people took time off from work because they didn’t have to be employed to make money. They ignored target attainment during times when “it didn’t matter.” Many companies, also receiving stimulus payments, didn’t necessarily pay attention to target status, just doing their best to survive and maintain a “kick the can down the road” mentality.
When The Curtain Rose
Now that the curtain has risen, and target and goal achievement status are in plain sight for all to see, some businesses are having to scramble to catch up. If they played it intelligently during the pandemic—and some companies certainly did—they know where they stand and can simply carry on.
Where To Now?
Now that the curtain is up, and we can see exactly what’s going on, there are no excuses for not getting back to work on target and goal attainment.
- If you’re ahead, good job! Keep moving and get even further ahead.
- If you’re behind, you know what you have to do. You must either catch up and move ahead, or watch your competition pass you by.
- If you’re on target, that’s great! Do everything you can to get ahead of the target and fully secure your position.
The curtain has risen! Now that you know where you stand as regards target and goal attainment, take the appropriate action and let’s all head for success once again.
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