Have you spent weeks, months, or even years fretting about how to achieve your business goals but somehow never seem to get there?

It’s no secret that the challenges of creating a rock-solid business plan and then fully executing it requires an unwavering long term commitment. Worse yet, that commitment will be tested over and again as the day to day challenges of running a business have a way of distracting each of us from accomplishing our long-term business objectives.

Business discipline is what keeps midsized companies focused and allows them break through the obstacles standing in the way of their goals.

But success requires iron-clad self-discipline to stay the course and keep the urgent from interfering with the important.  The good news is that self-discipline is a learnable skill. It’s comprised of several competencies as well as attitudes and behaviors, all of which you will need to practice on a daily basis to achieve mastery.  And it is that mastery of self-discipline that will help you move your business from a performance lagger to performance leader.

Competencies are hard-wired skills that can be trained and measured. Behaviors, on the other hand, are influenced by many external, internal, and subconscious factors and are shaped over time. Attitudes reflect how one responds to certain environments, situations, and circumstances.  Behaviors are outgrowths of attitudes and are manifested as patterns or habits. The objective then, is to change behaviors so that the team and its leader can focus on the business plan’s implementation.

How to best accomplish this…

How would you feel if I told you that if you are struggling to achieve your goals, it is not because you are lazy or lack drive, but rather it’s a problem because you many have never learned how to implement business discipline? Here are two simple steps you can take to change your team’s attitudes and behaviors over time:

Take stock… Note when your team doesn’t stick with the plan, leaves important work uncompleted, or spends too much time putting out fires. What were the particular circumstances that led to these behaviors? Plan to close those gaps by developing specific and dated action plans that will turn your intentions into positive action towards your company’s goals and away from self-sabotaging behaviors.  Post these action plans in one place where they are easily accessible and you can monitor progress.

Use a system…The cloud-based One Page Business Plan is an ideal vehicle for managing this. The key is to begin your team’s behavior-change journey, knowing that it will move you forward, but with some ups and downs from time to time. At the core of the system are regular I:I check ins with team members designed to help you stay on plan and continually reprioritize your action plans. Using simple systems can make what seems overwhelming today far easier tomorrow.

Why do this?

A disciplined approach to your business will have two benefits. One will be decreased anxiety levels for you… instead of fretting, you will be taking action. The other will be an increased ability to accomplish your long-term business goals faster and with fewer distractions.

Finally, if you feel you need it, find a coach or someone you respect who will help you hold yourself accountable for achieving your self-improvement action plans!