{"id":13319,"date":"2022-10-06T19:11:36","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T19:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jboitnott.com\/?p=13319"},"modified":"2022-10-07T18:02:34","modified_gmt":"2022-10-07T18:02:34","slug":"not-hitting-your-goals-heres-how-to-know-if-you-should-change-tactics-or-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jboitnott.com\/zh\/not-hitting-your-goals-heres-how-to-know-if-you-should-change-tactics-or-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Hitting Your Goals? Here’s How to Know If You Should Change Tactics or Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not uncommon to set goals for your business<\/a> and end up not reaching them. In fact, if you\u2019re never failing to reach your goals, then they\u2019re probably not ambitious enough.<\/p>\n

When things don\u2019t go according to plan, you have three main options:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You can switch strategies<\/a>\u200a\u2014\u200athat is, the high-level plan you\u2019ve devised to take you to your goal.<\/li>\n
  2. You can change<\/a> your tactics<\/a>\u200a\u2014\u200athat is, the specific actions that you take to execute those strategies.<\/li>\n
  3. Or you can change the goal itself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Knowing when to do which is critically important. If you\u2019re struggling to meet the business goals<\/a> you and your team set for your company, take a deep breath and begin to troubleshoot the process, starting with your tactics.<\/p>\n

    1. Evaluate your\u00a0tactics<\/h2>\n

    If you can shift your daily list of actions to more closely align with and support the strategy<\/a>, you\u2019ll find making those necessary adjustments easier and simpler than changing your entire strategy. So it makes sense to focus your analysis first on your tactics.<\/p>\n

    First take a look at the alignment, or lack thereof, between your tactics and chosen strategies. Remember that the tactics are specifically actionable tasks, either one-offs or repeatable routines that are assigned to one person for accountability and that are designed to pursue a specific strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    So, for example, \u201cposting three updates on our Instagram account each day\u201d by itself isn\u2019t necessarily a solid tactic, even if it\u2019s supposed to be in furtherance of raising brand awareness through a more dynamic and engaging social media presence. Are you sure your audience is active on Instagram? Are you using the right tactics to reach and connect with them? Is each of those three updates offering something of value to that audience?<\/p>\n

    Next, examine the resources you\u2019ve allocated to these specific tactics. Execution of your tactics doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be flawless to see positive results, but often we miss something obvious that winds up blocking the results we expect. An execution gap might explain why your team fell short\u200a\u2014\u200aperhaps a key position suddenly became vacant in the middle of the project, or your team realized you were working with bad data. Debrief the path you\u2019ve taken so far to see if any such obstacles might have played a part.<\/p>\n

    Finally, examine the metrics you\u2019ve assigned to track progress on this goal and the tactics you\u2019re pursuing. Are you tracking the right data points? Does that information show in near real-time how your tactics are getting you closer to your goal? If not, reevaluate and see if you can pinpoint more meaningful metrics, as well as a way to track them reliably.<\/p>\n

    2. Examine your\u00a0strategy<\/h2>\n

    The strategies you adopt to hit your goal may also need to be tweaked or changed altogether. If you\u2019ve analyzed your team\u2019s performance<\/a> on the tactical plan and there\u2019s nothing wrong with the execution there, then the problem may well lie in the strategy. Perhaps it\u2019s no longer viable. Or maybe you\u2019ve overlooked other data that reveals your customers\u2019 needs and interests are evolving. If that\u2019s so, you\u2019ll want to make sure your strategic plans keep up with them.<\/p>\n

    Evaluate if the assumptions underlying your strategy have changed. For one obvious example, let\u2019s say your goal is to raise revenue by 45% at your restaurant, and your strategy is to bring 100 visitors into your restaurant every day. But an economic downturn<\/a> hits your region, meaning fewer people go out to dinner, at least for the time being. In that case, macro events overtook developments and changed your ability to realize the goal through these means.<\/p>\n

    That doesn\u2019t mean you have to give up on the goal itself. Simply rethink the strategy. In the case of our example, you could offer more lunch or dinner deal \u201cspecials\u201d to customers, if inflation doesn\u2019t make that unfeasible. Also, maybe you can switch to a focus on delivery, special events or even catering.<\/p>\n

    3. Take a hard look at the goal\u00a0itself<\/h2>\n

    If you\u2019ve taken a cold, hard look at both the strategic and the tactical plans without pinpointing an opportunity for making a timely and productive shift, then it\u2019s time to evaluate the goal itself<\/a>. The problem with your goal may be situational\u200a\u2014\u200ai.e., it was a valid, realistic goal at one time but events overtook you, and now you need to align with the current environment and market. Or it could be that there\u2019s nothing wrong with the goal itself; you just haven\u2019t fully identified, defined and fleshed it out.<\/p>\n

    Go back and give your goal a checkup by asking the following questions\u200a\u2014\u200aand answering them honestly:<\/p>\n