In my past, I spent a few years mountain climbing (for the Munro Baggers, I got to 70!) but haven't been near a mountain in the last 4 years - until recently. My 20 year old son has developed an interest, and thinks its a great idea to drag me along with him. Whilst I am hugely flattered that he wants to spend time with his old mum and thinks me capable, a small part of me does wonder if he is trying to kill me off for an early inheritance!
Yesterday we undertook the challenge of the Ben Cruachan Horseshoe. 14km in distance, 1400metres of climbing which includes 2 Munros, and typically a 9 hour circuit. I am very glad to say we completed it, and as I sat this morning with stiff legs (very stiff legs!) I reflected on some key goal setting tips that apply both in personal expeditions and in Business.
Consider your motivation - or your "why"
When the going gets tough, understanding why you set out in the first place will help you through. My big "why" in life is to spend quality time doing quality things with the key people in life that matter to me - making life count. Therefore, my why yesterday was an opportunity to spend quality time with my son creating precious memories, add to my Munro Bagging list - and also a last ditch attempt to burn a few calories before my September holiday! What's your Why in the business context - have you set a clear vision of what you want to achieve, does your business have a clear purpose, and how do your goals and activities tie into it?
Set the right Goal
In our case yesterday, it was a case of literally selecting the right mountain to climb. The weather has been changeable - what was the forecast? How much time did we have? If we had picked the wrong mountain, we would have dramatically reduced our opportunity for success, did I want to get halfway up to be met with constant torrential rain - no! In the business context, what is your mountain you want to climb - what will the view be, what are the risks, why is it important to you?
Consider your Resources
Yesterday we wanted to be home by 8pm, so worked back from there, including travel time, 9 hours for the walk and a little extra (just in case!) this meant a 5.45am alarm clock....We checked the route, took screenshots in case we didn't have signal, packed extra food and clothes. We played to our strengths - Adam can actually understand a map(!) so he was chief navigator, I know a bit about nutrition so was chief food organiser (swapping roles and we would have been at the wrong side of Scotland with 5 bags of Percy Pigs!) What resources do you need to allow you to meet your goal? Do you have team members in the right positions, with access to the right materials in the right quantities etc? The earlier you fully involve all team members in goal setting and engage them in contributing their ideas to how to achieve it, the better everyone will buy into being part of the solution.
Seek Advice
I read the route description in the Munro's book, and spent the night before reading various reviews on the Walk Scotland site, from others who had climbed the mountain before. On the actual day, when we were unsure of the correct path up from the reservoir, we actually asked some workies who luckily were nearby - not because they looked liked expert hill climbers, but because they were there every day so knew the terrain. Who could you learn from once you have set your goal? Who has achieved similar goals - what did they learn that could be useful to you? What expertise may you need to call on - I read the relevant pages from the book written by experts - who are the specialists that could help you? Who's closest to the work that can see the best path? For me, the workies were there every day and could see the best path that everyone now used, which was more useful in the moment that the black and white words on a page written by experts - the people in your business that are closest to the work your business is doing may see things that "experts" or you don't see - be sure to ask for their ideas for improvements and efficiencies.
Break the goal into bite sized chunks
Whilst our ultimate goal was to complete the circuit, we had mini goals to assess progress against - reaching the reservoir, getting to the first top etc, and even on the day we set further mini goals (eg when we get to the top of this bealach, we will be two thirds of the way to the first top). This was helpful both in ensuring we were on track, and keeping our motivation going - had a continual sense of achievement throughout the day, and regular food rewards and photos to celebrate. It was also useful when we couldn't actually see the summit due to cloud cover - we still knew how far (roughly!) we had to go. In business, what are your mini goals, an how do you create moments that matter around them to keep motivation high? Are you guilty of focussing on the end goal at the expense of what happens in between?
Beware of false summits and obstacles!
Most people who have climbed a mountain have suffered the horror of the false summit - you think you have reached the top and arrive with jelly legs, only to see more to climb in the distance! What could the false summits be in your business - how will people feel if they hit them, and how will you keep them motivated to keep going?
And like any aspect of life, there will be challenges along the way. One of yesterdays challenges was some large stone "slabs" we had read about in other walker reviews that we would need to cross - and we didn't know what to expect. Some said they were easy, others not, suggesting an alternative path we could use to avoid them, albeit we would lose some height. Who wants to lose height! When faced with said slabs - smooth and sloping towards the edge of the mountain from near summit height to a sheer drop and certain death below - we had already researched and knew our options. But its one thing knowing the theory - its quite another when it comes to applying it! We decided to "test and learn" in the moment - basically my son went ahead and called back to me to say whether he thought I would freak out or not! (for the record - I crossed them too and lived to tell the tale!) But how can you test and learn when you come to challenges. What autonomy does your team have to try different paths and solutions?
Reaching the top is not the end of the journey
Reaching the second summit was great (2 more Munro's - tick!) but the job was not complete - we still had the descent to go! We therefore had to keep our wits about us and our concentration sharp, as many hillwalking incidents take place on the route down when people are tired. Aching knees, constant bogs and a disappearing path are not a great combination! What bogs could you fall into once your goal is reached, if you don't keep your eyes open? how do you maintain momentum following achievement of the goal?
The goal is met - what's next?!
Hopefully you will find some time to celebrate and recognise your achievement! Last nights glass of wine and fish and chips was so much better for knowing how I have earned it.
So - there you have it - my goal setting tips from a mountain top! Hopefully my knees will have the chance to recover before my son looks at his Munro book again....however, the other consequence of success is that it is addictive. The more you achieve, the more you want to, maybe the best time to set the next goal is when you are still on a high from achieving the last? Right, where is that Munro book, I may just have a look at it now!
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