Celebrating Milestones

This past month, we gathered for my father's 80th birthday.  It was not just a celebration of Richard Goodman's life-to-date, hitting the eight decade milestone, it was much more.  His children returned from Chicago; New York; San Diego;  Melbourne, Australia; and yes, even Urbandale, to remember events,accomplishments, and to share stories that seemed safe to tell now with the passage of time.  We gathered simply to honor my dad and to enjoy some time with him.as friends and families everywhere do on such occasions.

It occurred to me that we were not really celebrating the milestone, but the journey of a lifetime.  I respect my father, not only for what he has accomplished, but for how he accomplished it.  It reminds me of a quote from Albert Einstein, "Try not to become a man of success, but rather, to become a man of value."  I started to think of all the little tasks that my father had done to be a "man of value."  I wished we would have celebrated those when they happened, to show him how much we cared, and to give encouragement to take on the next task that comes with being a husband and a father of six children.

This reminded me that in life, as in business, we must respect all the little tasks that are necessary for us to reach our milestones.  In business, we often set our sights on distinct, quantifiable goals.  A goal associated with time, money, or other qualifier that is so large, so monumental, that the journey or path becomes abstract and off the radar.  We may celebrate and measure the success of reaching a million in revenue (i.e.: Apple iTunes hits its billionth download), but shouldn't we celebrate the little successes of a new product launch, or revel in the return on a new advertisement or promotion campaign, or the increase in customer satisfaction after implementation of an employee training program?

Why not have a kick-off celebration to share with your employees your vision of what this coming year has in store, what your goals and objectives are, and what part each of them have on this journey?  This type of internal marketing is more important than external plans for some organizations.  Now, continue this thinking with measurable milestones, timetables, and achievements.  And, if they are critical for the success of the project, no matter how small, celebrate each achievement and success to keep the momentum going. Give encouragement to take on the next task.

Back to the celebration:  My father likes a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and he didn't disappoint me when he incorporated it into his words that night, "This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it." Like always, I was thinking of how my father's wisdom could impact my daily life. 

So I thought; for any strategic marketing plan to work, you start by defining the objective(s), the end-goal, the milestone.  Then, package this objective into a "WOW" that your employees can get behind.  This may be the whole organization or a select department or business unit.  Next, establish an Action Plan to achieve the objective, one task at a time.  Everyone needs to know what is expected and what to do on "this day" and "every day" to reach the "WOW."

As my father taught me.celebrating the goal (or destination) is fine.but the real joy in life and business comes during the steps taken in the journey.  Remember to celebrate your milestones, no matter how small, along your journey.

Jim Goodman is the president of Customer Ease, a marketing consulting and research company in Des Moines.  Jim founded the CEO Center (Creative Entrepreneur Organization) for assisting in the growth of Iowa businesses.  Jim is also an adjunct professor for Drake University teaching Entrepreneurship and Marketing Research. 

To reach Jim: jimg@customer-ease.com or 515-471-1301.