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Health & Fitness

Peer-to-Peer Services Can Help Small Business Owners Meet Goals

There are tons of resources out there and all kinds of support for those who are serious about achieving their goals this year. Read on!

Setting goals and sticking to them is one of the hardest challenges any of us faces.

If you own or run a business, then you know how goals can get shoved aside in favor of any number of daily distractions that command your attention. Without dedicated time and focus behind those goals, they soon get relegated to the back of your mind, only to be dug up at a later date when you wonder why you haven’t made the kind of progress you hoped for.

The great news is that there are tons of resources out there and all kinds of support for those who are serious about achieving their goals this year.

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In our we named some of those resources. The critical element most often overlooked in goal setting is establishing the right kind of support to achieve those well- intentioned goals. 

In my coaching practice I am often surprised at how little attention my clients naturally choose to give the idea of establishing support around their goals. The reality is that change doesn’t come easy to anyone. What helps change go down easier, and what can pull us through the inevitable set backs and days when we just don’t want to do things the “new” way is to have the right kind of support available to us.

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This can come in the form of a best friend or colleague that keeps us accountable. It can be a reminder from a teacher, an app on your phone or a designated time you’ve scheduled in your calendar to check in with the goal you’re working toward. It can come in the form of meeting with a mentor, hiring an executive coach or signing up to participate in a peer-to-peer service.

The latter, peer-to-peer service is something worth exploring if you own or manage a business.

Peer-to-peer circles are made up of a trusted group of your peers, people in the “same boat” as you; a group of colleagues you can relate to because you share the unique experience of leading a business. Peer circles are usually made up of non-competing business leaders, that get together regularly to share advice that works, to learn from one another’s experiences and get outside perspectives on issues that matter most.

Some services like Inner Circle Cleveland, offer a facilitated peer-to-peer circle that hold each member accountable for identifying and working toward achieving a personal vision and goals. Inner Circle groups work with members individually and in peer-to-peer circle sessions, supporting business leaders in making the life they want to live, happen.

Other benefits of peer-to-peer circles are: expanding members’ professional and social networks, staying connected to current business trends, learning from other experts, getting honest feedback and support, and discovering untapped leadership potential.

This year, give yourself a gift. Do more than set goals for yourself. Make them stick by creating the right kind of support for yourself. Explore some of the options above, tap into your own wisdom, talk to others about what’s worked for them, but don’t neglect the most powerful key to achieving your goals. Plan for the support you will need to reach your goals.

If you’re a business leader in Northeast Ohio and are interested in learning more about a peer-to-peer service just email me at jmargolis@theinnercircle.com and I will send you additional information.

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