Goals? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Goals!
The middle ground between setting a grand strategy for your company and just going with the flow.
When I left a good job in corporate America to start my one-person software development consulting and training company, Process Impact, I didn’t set myself any specific goals. Of course, I had the generic goal of, “Gee, I hope I get enough work to earn a living.” I had some encouraging signs of potential success based on the moonlighting I had been doing for a few years beforehand, with my employer’s full knowledge and approval. Other than that, though, I just thought I’d see how it went.
That was 24 years ago. It went better than I had any reason to expect. My first full year on my own, I made three times as much money as I had been making at my corporate job, where I had worked for 18 years. My company’s revenue went up from there. I was always fortunate to have all the work I wanted, whether that was a lot or a little bit. I substantially retired 14 years ago, although I still dabble a bit if something interesting comes along, like giving a presentation or writing a book.
When we flip the calendar to a new year each January, many people reflect to see if they accomplished the goals they had set for themselves 12 months earlier. They might craft a new set of…
