Reach business goals more easily: 3 tips

If you want to reach business goals more easily, there is a word you need to use more often. And that is even more true if you are an entrepreneur having ADHD.

You know the word. 

You probably use it every single day. And probably far too often …

We are talking about the word YES.

And it was one of the lessons I learned the hard way.

It was just another morning at my job when I was a recruiting manager. A colleague wanted me to be there spontaneously during a job interview.

Now.

A co-worker needed help with a job advertisement.

Urgently.

Another employee asked for advice on a private matter. When my secretary came for the third time with the quarterly report, and there were still mistakes in it, I burst into tears.

Why is it so dangerous to say YES too often?

Most people like to say YES. On the one hand, because we are genuinely helpful. And to be honest, because we want to be one of the good guys.

There are just two problems. If we say yes too often,

• we do not get to the important things. We are not moving forward in our company.
• We fall into the YES-automatism.

Because saying no is like a muscle, we have to train. We are not used to it. And especially we women because we have learned very often to behave socially “friendly.”

I had said yes too many times and was exhausted. I was working a lot and still lagging behind everything.

If you feel the same way and want to change that – here are three tips to help you reach the next level in your business with less stress.

Tip #1: Develop procedures or standards for similar requests

If you receive similar requests repeatedly, create a clear procedure for them. These can be requests for collaborations or participation in events, but also customer inquiries.

Write down which collaborations are suitable for you. Get clarity on how much time you want to spend on them. It is similar to events.

What events do you want to attend, and how often?

When you receive inquiries and your quota is reached, you can say: “I have a defined procedure for this. We have no more capacity for this year.”

This approach has three advantages:

• You do not have to reconsider whether to do it every time you get a request.
• You do not have to write (have someone write) a new email because you already have a       template.
• You do not overload yourself because you have determined how much you can do.

Tip #2: Limit your Yes’ to a certain number

Like tip number 1, this is about limiting the number of Yes’.

However, this tip is more about things you voluntarily take on even though you do not actually have time or desire to do so. The result?

Sooner or later, you will feel drained and powerless if you regularly overload yourself.

Take a piece of A4 paper note and write down for one day – better for one week – the things you voluntarily take on.

Then look at your list and play “detective.”

• Are there any points you do not want to take on in the future?
• Do you recognize patterns, such as taking on things because you think you will be faster?
• Or because it is a pure habit?

These are points you can start to address. Limit your Yes’ to a certain number.

Tip #3: This doesn’t fit into my business strategy at the moment

If you take on everything, every request, every customer, every task, you give the impression that you want everything but are good at truly little. Customers know that nobody can do anything.

In addition, this is the worst possible way to reach the next level more easily.

Because you need to know what fits your business and what does not, it would be best to say no to what does not fit because customers definitely appreciate authority and self-assurance.

You must learn to say No. No is the password to the next level.

Xander Berkeley is a US actor who has played leading roles in successful series such as 24 or Nikita. When asked by a reporter about his secret of success, he answered, he learned the most important lesson from an agent.

He was still at the beginning of his career and accepted any work he could get. He could not take on larger and more attractive roles while he was committed to many small roles.

At some point, his agent talked into his conscience and said:

You have to learn to say No. No is the password to the next level.

Summary

If you want to reach business goals more easily and grow your company, our three tips are a start. Set standards for similar requests, determine when you are taking on too much, and know what belongs in your business strategy.

Give it a try.

 

 

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