Sometimes overly lofty goals can become overwhelming and end in defeat. Plan to knock off 50 pounds but never were able to lose 10? Plan on setting 15 appointments a week with new prospects but consistently miss a more modest goal of 20 meetings a month? The list can go on and on. Lofty goals in and of themselves never create failure. It is the inability of creating a realistic process and supporting implementable strategies under the goals that blow up the best intentions.
Ever hear of the aggregation of marginal gains theory? In 2002, neither had the British cycling team. At that time, the Brits had not won the Tour du France for 110 years. In fact, since 1908, British cyclists had only won one Olympic gold. Insult to injury, a major European bike manufacturer would not sell their gear to the English team for fear their brand would be associated with their long losing stream.
But don’t worry. By a stroke of luck Sir David Brailsford was hired as the new coach in 2003. Brailsford embarked on making 1% incremental improvements across a number of impactful areas. He changed the design of the bike seat for more comfortable positioning, put alcohol on the bike tires to improve traction, changed the fabric in the cyclists’ clothing to optimize muscle temperatures and a half dozen other small, 1% enhancements. Fast forward to an amazing turnaround. Over a 10- year period with their new coach, the British cyclists had won over 178 world championships, captured 66 Olympic gold medals and won five Tour de France races!!
Marginal steady advancement in the short run may not seen exciting or sexy but, over time, the accumulation of incremental positive changes can be massive.
Ready to get real? Drop the drama,? Ready to step into the future you want? At Sandler, we're ready for you, are you ready for us?
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