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Goal Setting: Planning For Success

Posted by Kati McDermith- MNI Brand Ambassador on Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Goal setting: planning for success

In celebration of Manufacturing Month, I shared my goal setting and planning process as part of MNI University.

Are you a goal oriented or a result driven person? Do you find that you need a set direction to go towards or look for validation along the way to prove that you are on the right track?

You may have found yourself in positions where your goals are not defined or there are no KPIs or colleagues to compare your efforts or results to.

Me too.

My name is Kati McDermith, the Manufacturing Hype Girl!

I connect buyers and sellers in the industrial world and talk about things like US manufacturing, trending industrial searches, all forms of lead gen, geology, making strategic connections, organizing, and planning.

I come to you as a student of incredibly inspirational thought leaders and industry professionals.

I have read a gazillion books, listened to countless hours of podcasts, scoured Pinterest and other social channels in search of the ideal roadmap... though none fit my needs exactly.

So, I set out to make my own roadmap and built this process out of bits that inspired me from what I had researched. It is my sincerest hope that you will be able to take from my process and apply to your life.

I make no guarantees aside from the promise that I really enjoyed sharing this with you!

Where to Start?

“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.” - Greg Reid

Goals can be personal or professional.

Goals can be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) or fluid, changing and evolving.

Goals are the light at the end of the tunnel and to reach them, there are steps to take.

Four Step Goal Setting Process

1 - Name it
2 - High level overview
3 - Define Success
4 - Action plan

•  Step One: Simply to give it a name. I know it seems so simple, but what better time to have fun! I like to name my goals something creative. Think of one goal you might have right now, and give it a fun name, and write it down!

Step Two: Give a high-level overview or “mini brief”. Talk to yourself and come up with a few sentences that go over the who, what, when, where, and why's of the goal. Include things like the people involved and the reasons for the goal. Written in present tense being as specific and descriptive as you can, using verbs (action words) like “finalize” or “submit”, etc.

Step Three: Define what success looks like. How will you know when you have met your goal? More often than not, these can be really simple and obvious. If your goal is more professional, you might be able to tie in a specific number or result.

You might even decide that you'd rather define success before the writing the mini brief.

Step Four: Expand on each outcome and create some tasks or actions that can be done to achieve the success you've defined. What can I do to make my desired outcome happen? This really is where the magic happens and probably the most fun and impactful part of the process.

Anything that can be checked off is added to the task lists for the week or month.

Some actions may not something you can check off a list and more like reminders or habits so instead, put actions like this on the mirror or your phone or on a sticky note on your monitor.

When you turn these actions into tasks and add them to your to do list, you are planning for success! You are making time in your days to be an achiever! You’re taking steps towards the light at the end of the tunnel!

Pro tip: Group together and time block similar actions like research, outline, editing…

After this process is done, it’s just a matter of reviewing your goals regularly and adding or changing them as necessary.

And don't forget to DO THE THINGS!

I review my goals once a month as part of my monthly reset and I suggest you schedule time for this satisfying task as well.

What is your goal setting process? Do you have some goal setting tips? I would love to see them. Connect with me on LinkedIn and share!

About the Author

Kati McDermith, the Manufacturing Hype Girl, is a fierce advocate of US Manufacturing and MNI Brand Ambassador.  A mom of three sweet boys; two of which are US Marines! She loves connecting buyers and sellers in the industrial world and encouraging meaningful & strategic connections. She enjoys road-tripping across the US identifying manufacturers and touring facilities. She is interested in art, music, reading, wine, planning, and geology! A Dog and Cat petter, coffee connoisseur, and learn-it-all!

Want to keep up with the latest sales and marketing trends and exclusive industrial statistics from MNI? The free weekly IndustrySelect Insider email is the industry's top source for sales, marketing and industrial news you can't find anywhere else. Subscribe here.




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