How Top CEOs Set Goals for 2015

Dear Aaron, 2015 is right around the corner, and we are thinking of making some New Year Resolutions for our company. Do they ever work? Signed, Making Our Vision Early Dear MOVE, Setting goals at a specific time is wise.  For instance, it’s probably not a good idea to start a diet right before the holidays but a good idea to start one a few weeks before going on a cruise. However, resolutions for the most part don’t stick. A 2007 study from the University of Bristol involving 3000 people showed that 88 percent of those who set New Year resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52 percent of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning.  The study found that men were 22 percent more likely to achieve their resolution if they engaged in goal setting (a system where small measurable goals are being set; such as saving $100 a week, rather than saying “save money.”) Women succeeded 10 percent more when they made their resolutions public and received support from their friends. We asked some of our top CEO’s if they had any New Year resolutions and were surprised by the feedback.  Yes, they did, and their goals and resolutions were professional as well as personal.  From continuing to work with their personal trainer and nutritionist to reading six new books in the New Year or developing additional technology to assist in sales and operations, these leaders were interested in betterment and change in 2015.  Here are some good ones I want to share with you. Dave Povlitz – CEO of Anago Cleaning Systems One change to our business we plan to make in 2015 that has stemmed from 2014 learnings is to begin managing by using the 4DX System (4 Disciplines of Execution):

• What is the goal?
• What are the critical elements needed to reach that goal?
• How will the results be measured?
• Meet with key personnel weekly to review accomplishments.

Kevin Wilson – CEO of Mosquito Joe*  Our top 3 professional goals in 2015 include growing the Mosquito Joe system to over 100 territories up from 39 in 2014, recruit an additional 50 strong franchisees throughout 2015, and grow system-wide sales 150 percent, and by doing so, help drive above-average growth to our franchisees. In 2014 the death of a good friend was just another reminder of how short the time is we have here with each other.  For that reason I plan to continue to spend time in areas where I have passion – family, friends, business, and have fun. Chris Elliott – CEO of Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Technology, productivity and product innovation are the top trends we see for business in 2015. To grow the value of our enterprise, inspire our franchisees to achieve a higher level of performance, and develop our team’s capabilities for bigger challenges ahead, we plan to:

• Add some horsepower to areas in our development process that will speed up the opening cycle.
• Offer everyday value options to guests that reduce the impact of menu price increases.
• Keep our organization focused on in-store execution.  A great dining experience is the ultimate value enhancer.
• Don’t chase trends that are not resonating with our core customer.

Hao Lam – CEO of Best in Class  I am always fascinated by the business-to-business and business-to-consumer concepts that companies likes Amazon and Alibaba offer. They have strong presence in the online retail and payment platforms.  I am seeing more and more “middle-man” concepts in the service industries such as daycare, lawn mowing and car rides.  I think there will be more and more platforms out there that will link the business and consumer side together. I would think mobile apps will continue to get bigger too. This year we’ve been moving in 30 directions at once at 200 miles per hour, and this is something we have to change moving forward. We will stay focused and only work on our top five priorities at any given time in 2015. We expect well-planned, stable and manageable growth. I will be sticking with my own schedule more tightly in an effort to stay more focused. I have just divided my days into the following categories and I will stick to them in 2015: Work Day (4), Buffer Day (1), Think Day (1) and Off Day (1). Share Your Resolutions All of our CEO’s seemed to agree that more exercise, healthier eating and quality time with family and friends were important personal goals for 2015. Povlitz went one step further and specified that he plans to lose 20 pounds and invite family and friends to his home for dinner at least once a month. Resolutions are more sustainable when shared, both in terms of with whom you share the benefits of your resolution, and with whom you share the path of maintaining it. So yes, make resolutions for 2015.  Share them with your team and be specific.  If they don’t work, you won’t be the first to break them. Hope this helps, MOVE, and sets you on a successful and healthy path for 2015! Best wishes and happy holidays, Aaron