“Most people aim at nothing and hit it with amazing accuracy.”

C-Levels without written goals and their supporting action items are like me as a novice bow hunter. The first time I drew a bow on a deer, the arrow sailed a foot over the deer and into the kimchi. Back at the cabin, nursing a beer with Tommy Burke, CIO of Teledyne, I was educated. “You aimed at the deer, right? Next time, aim at the boiler room – heart and lungs, just behind the low shoulder. If you miss that, you’ll still hit the deer.” Goal a deer. Focused aiming point vital. Consequences of failure is hunger.

Written goals must be precise with an exact desired outcome, date certain and an assessment of resources needed and actions required to meet the goal. It should take under a page. I’ve found goals can be very punishing. So, I concentrate on those action items and watch my metrics for positive, goal direction trends.

My goal: “Establish a profitable branch of Pronto Progress in Tampa by December, 2010. I’ll need at least 7 full time employees billing 88% of their time. I will develop a list of the Vista, Vantage and Epicor using companies from the pan- handle of Florida to Jacksonville to Fort Meyers. We will host HOTSEAT deep training sessions and work by referral. Our big advantage is Epicor consulting partner status. So, I may miss the boiler room but I don’t miss the deer!