Business View Caribbean - January 2016 7
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Thank you for your readership Business Viewers, and we welcome you to another healthy
edition filled with bunches and bushels of encouraging information about the growing
economic development of the Caribbean. As the month of August starts to remind us of
how fast 2016 is running through the calendar, I find myself overly excited about watch-
ing the 31st Olympic Games of Rio 2016, and what it takes to become an athlete of that
caliber. How did they get here? What sacrifices, commitments, blood, sweat, pain, and
tears went into this preparation? Was it mental, physical, emotional? What created the
drive for this endeavor?
This prompted me to thinking about how businesses may be similar in their efforts of
becoming the top businesses in their industry, and perhaps even one of the top busi-
nesses in the world. As I began to think deeply about the mentality of one of the Olympic athletes, I stumbled upon one word
that struck me as the most crucial aspect of their preparation, Goal setting! Although everyone knows the importance of this
topic, it can never, ever, never, ever…EVER be stressed enough. In order to achieve a certain attainable level, one must first
identify what that level is. It’s important to set that goal remarkably high, because it’s hard to achieve anything higher than
the goal you’ve embarked upon. So you don’t want to minimize the possibility of what can be done, by not being courageous
enough to set a goal that you feel you cannot achieve. At the same time, business psychologists/analysts suggest not setting
that goal so high that it is mentally debilitating. The science behind this says that once your psyche has determined that it’s
unattainable, then your efforts will reflect that conclusion. In other words, if Usain Bolt set a 100 meters goal at running a 9.2,
when the best time in the world, as well as the best he’s ever run is a 9.6 (9.58 to be exact), then his psyche will respond, by
saying “we know this is unachievable.” As a result, his workout productivity will respond with “why are we even working this
hard, when we know we can’t do this?” To combat this effect, his goal should be set in accordance of what he can reasonably
conceive. So, his history shows him that between 2008 (9.69) and 2009 (9.58), he shaved off more than a whole tenth from his
fastest recorded time, he could conceivably set his goal at around 9.49, and although this may be difficult for most to fathom
(including himself), considering that it’s never been done, his mind could possibly see it as achievable.
This component is very important in goal setting, because you don’t want to impede your own progress by setting a goal that
your performance efforts will disregard as unattainable. However, after that’s done and filed away, now comes the sacrifices,
commitments, blood, sweat, pain, and tears that are usually associated with the achievements of a champion.
So, that all said to say, remember what got you here. And while, I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know,
perhaps I’m just reminding you of the importance of getting back to the basics. When things start going south, simply start
with that one true, somewhat out of reach, yet attainable goal, and then make sure that all efforts are aligned accordingly.
Until next time, Plan, Build, and continue to Prosper!
Andre Barefield
