June 30th marks the halfway point of the year.

Many of us are planning what we will do to celebrate the birth of our Nation, or getting ready for a week or two of much needed time away. It is fun in the sun time right now. So enjoy. It’s also halftime for our business year, and as you come back refreshed and renewed from July 4th, and / or vacation, it’s a great time for some reflection and planning.

Are you on track for 2017?

Where are you in relation to the initiatives and goals you set out to meet as the New Year dawned? It seems long ago. The weather was cold, days were short, and we were all busy making plans for the year. No matter where you stand in relation to your annual goals, here is some advice for you right now that you can use to win in the second half.

We are Surpassing Even Our Wildest Imagination

You and your team are dominating. You’ve surpassed your goal each month and both quarters. All your projects are complete. You could take the rest of the year off and still have record results for 2017. If this describes you, consider setting some new goals. Higher benchmarks. Spend time planning. What has worked well thus far? What are the specific activities and initiatives that have produced your fantastic results? How can you optimize your time, your team, and your strategy to do even more? Setting some higher, but still attainable second half goals will assist in making 2017 even greater. Inspire and motivate your team. Mentor, train and coach them on their role in making the second half even stronger. Let them know where you want to go and keep working together to achieve even more. Celebrate, set new goals, plan, inspire, and take action in the second half.

On Track

You and your team are exactly where you set out to be. Not higher, not lower. Just right. You’re on track and it’s a great time to plan and examine what works, and what does not. Consider slightly progressive goals for each of the last two quarters and do some planning, coaching, and training on how to achieve them. Celebrate, motivate, and inspire your team. Thank them. Thank them with more than just their paycheck. Identify specific activities and projects that each member of your team performs well. Help them maximize their time spent doing those activities.

Slightly Behind

Halfway there but results are lagging the time remaining. Don’t panic. Plan. What can you, and your team, do each day, week, month, quarter to change the result moving forward? What are you doing well? Consider what you desire. Do you have your team on board? Are you sending mixed signals? Changing priorities? Vitally important to your success in the second half will be setting the benchmark, planning strategy, setting priorities, and laying out tactics to achieve what you desire. For many businesses, mission creep and a lack of focus harm desired results. Get clear on what you want to achieve. Plan and execute. Help your team stay on track. Make certain you are relentlessly pursuing your desires, and priorities – not reacting to urgent, low value work that derails your focus.

I’ve Given Up. We Are Defeated. There Is Always Next Year

Nothing seems to have worked and you are so desperately behind that your goals are completely out of reach. Never give up. Maybe your goal was too aggressive. Maybe you didn’t focus or manage priorities. Maybe you failed to involve your team. Oh well. Now is not the time to mire in self-pity and defeat. Now is the perfect time to reset attainable goals and set out to get yourself and your team working together to achieve them. Evaluate what worked, and what didn’t, from the first half. Establish an aggressive but reasonable goal for the third quarter. Plan, set priorities, train, coach, motivate, and hold your team and yourself accountable to achieving progress toward the milestone. Every day. Measure daily and weekly performance and progress. Praise and be grateful for achievement. Refuse to tolerate mission creep or lack of focus. Get serious about each new quarter in the second half of 2017. Never give in. Learn from mistakes in the first half and apply that knowledge to start winning right now. Today. Do not wait.

Schedule a call to discuss your game plan.