Bill had a conversation with Brian Moran, author of ‘The 12 Week Year,’ and we want to share a few takeaways from the conversation with you. When Bill read the book and applied the 12 week year system, it was a game-changer in executing and hitting goals.
Brian Moran is an author-speaker-coach that started in corporate America. Yet he always wanted to do his own thing. Does this sound familiar? He arrived at a place in his corporate job where he knew there wasn’t anywhere to move forward and he made the leap. If this is something you yourself have been waiting to do, keep reading.
Brian took the opportunity after leaving corporate to get involved on the ground level in a startup company. He was asked to manage the company and he did but with the intention to evolve it into what he really wanted to do which is coaching, training, and helping people. From his position as a manager, he looked at what was and wasn’t working in terms of individuals executing goals for the company. From there he built a system and wrote a book designed to help people execute at their highest.
The 12 Week Concept:
Brian discovered that most companies run on annual goals and markers which is quite simply, too much time. Think about how energized you are in January and how easy it is to fall off in pursuing your goals after a few months into the year.
He chose 12 weeks as a new time container for goals. With 12 weeks you have a healthy sense of urgency that doesn’t exist in a yearly cycle. Each 12 week ‘year’ stands on its own and is a complete container to achieve your set of specific goals.
With that urgency you get more done. Brian’s goal was to focus on the fundamentals that drive execution. Most people and businesses work annually….what goals do you set yearly?
The Framework:
Set your 12 week goals. These goals are attached to a vision you create starting with 10-15 years, then 3 years, and finally breaking it down into your 12 week goals. You now have a compelling reason to complete your actions because you are clear they all serve where you want to be 10 years from now.
When creating your goals it is important to be tactical. What does that mean?
Oftentimes people build conceptual goals and the problem with conceptual goals is that they mask the actual nitty gritty work needed to accomplish that goal. Using this framework you break down the least amount of actions needed to hit your vision and then continue to break those actions down into smaller steps tactically.
Once you break down your actions, you can begin to plan week by week and take into account vacations, time off, etc. and still complete the actions needed to hit your goals.
This system also helps when you are leading a team because it is difficult to inspire people with vague actions. When the actions are specific and tactical the goals are tangible and your team knows exactly what is required of them.
Once you create your 12 week plan it is clear what matters most for the next 12 weeks and you can consistently prioritize it with strategy. You have created a tactical vs. conceptual goal plan.
Mindset:
This system also brings in a different way of looking at goals and it starts with realizing what you can and can’t control. You don’t have control over your outcomes. You desire specific outcomes, but you don’t control them.
You do have control over your actions.
Let’s clarify, it’s not about being perfect, it’s about being more consistent with the things that matter, that move the needle a long way in a short period of time. Working with the 12 week system is not about cramming a year into 12 weeks, it’s about being more focused in 12 weeks and getting granular with your actions.
You won’t be 100% every week, it’s just not possible. Working toward 100% however, and meeting about 80%, will have you achieving your goals.
It’s about learning and adjusting.
How do you have success with this system?
Apply the system in full! No shortcuts.
There is a tendency for people to want to pick what they like from a system and ignore the rest. However, all the parts work together. It is important to apply the entire system, consistently.
Consistency goes beyond creating new habits. Brian says there is a misunderstanding that you can create a habit out of anything. You can create a habit out of things that are easy. You create routines around things that you choose to do every day to build toward your goals.
If left to our own devices most of us tend to lean toward comfort, but with systems like The 12 Week Year, you create processes that inspire productive tension.
‘You have to be willing to sacrifice your comfort to be great, and not just every once and a while, but every day.’ -Brian Moran.
Pro-tip:
This is a step not to be missed! Bill swears by it!
It’s called a WAM, or Weekly Accountability Meeting. This is a 15 minute meeting that creates accountability and support with either a partner or your team in accomplishing their tactical actions and achieving your 12 week goals. Accountability is an absolute game changer for almost everyone.
We hope you learned something valuable from our experience! Our goal is to pass on the secrets of our success in hopes that they will inspire yours.
