David:

[0:00] Hey, my friends. Today, I'm super excited to have with me my good friend and coach, Grant Fisher. Grant is a lifestyle results coach and has been my coach for the last two years but has been coaching professionally for about 20 years. And we're going to talk about the importance of having clearly defined goals and steps to attain clarity in those goals because if you don't know where you're going, you could end up anywhere. So, welcome to Redeeming Business Today podcast. Grant, I'm glad you're here.

Grant:

[0:30] And blessed to be here, too. Thank you, David. So fortunate. Appreciate you.

David:

[0:35] Yeah. And one of the things I like to ask my guests is, what is one way you believe that we can honor God in our business that others may not know about?

Grant:

[0:48] It might sound very simple and you know our focus today is on setting goals etc. Is you know when you read the bible when you spend some time and reflection is honoring by the little things you do every day people try and make things bigger than they need to be and start thinking about what do I want out of life what I want to be doing etc. but what if you just start with the small steps the baby steps and build that muscle and those habits and so honor god and follow Christ in the way he would do so expect you to do so on a daily basis because consistent habits will lead to a bigger better more fulfilling and engaging life at the end of the day, not sure if I answered your question.

David:

[1:37] No that's great it's there's not a right and It's just everybody has a different viewpoint on things, and that's the fun part about interviewing people. They all have a different viewpoint and can see things from a different angle, and it helps grow you and makes you better. So, I'd like you, if you would, take a few minutes and tell us about your journey. Obviously, you're a coach today, but how did you get to where you are today?

Grant:

[2:03] Okay. Well, I started off going back many years now before when I finished school and started university, wanted to do something that could help others, make a difference, leave a legacy, so to speak. Wanted to be master of my own domain at the same time whilst following God's path.

Grant:

[2:22] So I decided to, originally, I wanted to be a dentist or an optometrist. When I first started I couldn't get into those for lots of different reasons in terms of, academia and marks so I started down the psychology path and loved it's funny how you try and force things to happen there so I did get a chance or a second bite of doing optometry so I did do an optometry degree in the end even though I didn't finish psychology but very soon after I finished it I went back to doing all things around psychology mindset and so yeah once I have an optometry degree I did go into that coaching because it sort of spoke to me it was at my heart I think it was God put me there for that reason, I suspect I was probably brainwashed by my mom as well she was in real estate, so sit in the back of her car and doing things with her all the time there was Brian Tracy and Zig Ziglar and all those famous people back in those days in terms of influences of personal development mindsets, a combination. But as we know, there are no accidents. I'm sure it was just, again, God filling me up with that purpose.

David:

[3:36] Very good. Very good. So, you're a coach, and I'm sure you've talked to a lot of business owners about goals. And I don't know if everybody sets goals, or you probably encourage people to set goals,

but just from a coaching perspective, what is the importance of defining a clearly defined goal?

Grant:

[3:58] The importance with goals is that, you know, funnily enough, people don't set goals that often when you talk to them, right? They're very clear on the things they don't want. But when you stop and ask them, so what would you actually, what do you really want?

Grant:

[4:11] And you give them that sort of framework. They struggle to answer that question because no one's either stopped to answer them or they've never given themselves permission to do so. So, the reason why goals are so important is the clearer you are on your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them. If you define a bit like a google search right if you put it or nowadays with chat GPT and ai whatever you put in that search whatever question you ask whether it's ai or google you're going to get an answer back and if you're more vague in general you know you're going to have to ask further questions to get down to the actual thing that you're wanting it to get back to you and unfortunately many of us go through life that same way we're either very vague or very general or we focus on what we don't want and we all know whether it's through the verses that we know through the Bible or other professions, and insight is what we focus on is what we get, and we get more of it. And so, goal setting is a way of just allowing people to get real crystal clear on where they want to go, a bit like when they go on holidays and they set themselves a destination. You know, I want to go to Hawaii for holidays or a certain place. That will allow them to then make better decisions, more clear decisions and follow the pathway that will lead them to their destination.

David:

[5:31] Okay. Very good. I was getting distracted there for a minute. So, we got taken care of something. Clarity on goals. That's good. Do you have any stories about clients who basically before and after they set clear goals and the difference it may have made in their business?

Grant:

[5:51] Yeah absolutely you know one of my first clients that I remember very clearly he was a plumber it was just him doing plumbing work and he was from the UK he had moved to Australia about two or three years earlier left his family behind his mom and dad. He had a wife now and wanted to start a family and he was longing to go back and take his wife back to the UK and spend some time over there but each time he did that he would his business naturally wouldn't be able to generate income and so he wanted to find a way of scaling up and putting more team members on get his business so it could operate without him and his goal was to do it within three to five years long story short through the process which I’m happy to share with you the six-step process that we put in place he managed to do that in 18 months or less than 18 months and at the beginning when he started we started he didn't believe some of these goals that we've set. And again, this is where you lean into the Bible and what God says to us. You've got to have that belief without proof, that faith. And again, just follow the steps, follow what God puts before you and some common and basic principles, and you too shall reap those rewards.

David:

[7:06] Sure. Yeah, no, it's good. And I know somebody once said, I forget who said, said if paddling harder won't get you where you want to go faster if you're going in the wrong direction and that's so this guy who got to where he wanted to go in 18 months you said you had excuse me you had six steps that you led him through to do that what are those six steps

Grant:

[7:32] So the first one is, you know, we're all familiar with SMART goals or SMARTER goals, depending on the acronyms you want. Very good tool, very good way of summarizing some of the key components to goal setting. My biggest first starting point is having a compelling reason why. What's your emotional? What's your purpose? What's the bigger reason behind that? And digging deep and understanding that because we are fueled by that, whether we know so or don't know so. So, we need to understand that because that will help us move past some of those speed bumps that we might face at different times. So, start with your purpose. What's your bigger reason why you want to achieve that goal? People don't want more time, money, energy, or resources necessarily. What they want is what that's going to give them as a result of it. Second thing is stretch those goals. It's a bit like going to the gym. You can lift weights, but we all know it's the ninth and tenth rep that really strengthens that muscle. So, let's just set some stretch goals, not to create fear or overwhelm, but to allow different thinking. Because if you have the same old thinking, we're going to get the same old results. So set some stretch goals.

Grant:

[8:40] Also set some habit goals. James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits, speaks to it nicely. We don't rise to the level of our goals. We fall to the level of our systems or habits or rituals, right? So, what are those daily rituals or habits following God's path that will, again, strengthen you, set you on the right path, but keep you there at the end of the day? Number four is make sure there's an emotional connection to it. We're emotional creatures. Even those who are scientists and logically minded, we believe we are driven by emotions. So, let's consider what are those emotions that are going to fuel us and what are those emotions that might detract us and have that as part of the plan. Fifth one is set agile goals or make them agile. What I mean by that is instead of setting one 12-month goal, set four 90-day goals because it's been shown time and time again. Chunking it down into smaller parts makes it less overwhelming, more doable, allows you to pivot. If you fall behind, you get the chance to catch up. And yes, you'll overachieve your goals most often than not if you set four 90-day ones and one 12-month one. And the last one is set up some sort of accountability or reflection method, right? It's something you and I have done lots of times, at what you do with coaches, but they don't have to be a coach. They could be a very good friend. Just check in with someone and hold each other accountable of what you've committed to, particularly when you then come back to the purpose, right, because you're here for a reason and you're here to do good. So, link them all together.

David:

[10:04] Very good. Those are great steps, great steps. Okay. Okay.

David:

[10:12] So you and your business you you've taken those six steps yourself I take it. What are some problems or challenges you see that business owners when they start out that they've kind of failed and where they fail and not setting goals or they fail in not achieving those goals. What do you see as being the issue there?

Grant:

[10:42] Um, they sort of fall into three parts. You know, most businesses, as we know, and particularly owners behind them are there are so many possibilities out there in the world is such a wonderful place in terms of discovering those and finding those is that we can jump from one to the other without giving it time to work.

Grant:

[11:04] And so, you know, there's three things that I think cause business owners to sort of trip over, move direction, not necessarily get to where they want to be in there for have a business that's not quite the shape or getting them the results that they want first of all they're not they may not have a clear vision coming back to goals what is the vision what are they striving for yeah the second one is they may not be dissatisfied enough to take the actions that they need to take right we all have these goals and aspirations but unfortunately again as human beings we do more to avoid pain than to get pleasure and so having enough dissatisfaction to get us motivated to keep us going and get past what I call Monday artists sometimes can be a challenge but the third one is again particularly nowadays and with the with ai and everything else that's been going on is there are so many choices out there people get caught like a deer in the headlights of what do I do next what's my first and next best step and it's just having that sort of breaking everything down to say what do I just need to do and keep doing and move forward from here, right? And so have a vision, get hugely dissatisfied with where you're at or what you're striving for, and then just take a step and be clear on that next step. And it doesn't have to be perfect because you can always adjust it. It's just one step.

David:

[12:23] Very good. And I've seen that, too, in the people I coach and the things I've done, too, that sometimes you do get overwhelmed with, oh, I got all these things. And there's so much push out there about doing your 20% versus your 80% of unimportant things. And so, what is that one most important thing to do?

Grant:

[12:44] Yeah.

David:

[12:45] We don't just do something. That's what you're saying, right?

Grant:

[12:49] Absolutely. Absolutely. And when you drive it back to your purpose, right, and you'll know this with your wonderful family and your children's stuff, when you need to roll up the sleeves and do something for what you care about most, it's funny how we become almost like laser focused and all those other things that were perhaps distracting us or on our minds suddenly become unimportant for that very brief moment. It could be a day or a few days or a week or more. And so, it's why not use that same approach in some of the big business decisions that we need to make?

David:

[13:20] Sure. So shiny object syndrome. Have you seen coaches, I'm sorry, business owners struggle with that one too, I suppose?

Grant:

[13:28] Absolutely. Yep. Full of it. And more and more so, right? Again, because we have so many choices nowadays through all the different technologies and what's available, it's I think it's becoming worse in terms of that that that that, instance of it.

David:

[13:49] Anything else, or is that the main thing that you've seen that they are challenged with?

Grant:

[13:55] Again, I like to keep things simple. There's lots of things out there, and there's lots of variations of it, but I think those are the three core things, vision, dissatisfaction, knowing those first steps are probably the biggest three that hold people back or send them on a different pathway than what God or they have planned.

David:

[14:14] Okay, very good. Good. And so, you and your business, I'm not sure how long you've been following God, but how has your relationship with God impacted the way you do business?

Grant:

[14:26] Well, fortunately, I think having grown up as a Christian and in a family that has, you know, my dad's an atheist, my mom's a Christian, is my values were set by, through Christianity, basically. And so many businesses don't stop or don't start with what do I want my business to achieve, what's the purpose, coming back to the goal setting, but also how do I want to operate, how do I want to behave, how do I want to interact with not just my own people and staff, but my community, et cetera. So having grown up in a Christian household, despite that being an atheist, has helped me shape my business to follow those same Christian values, if you like. And it's funny how you then attract people in that same way. It's like honey to a bee. Most of my clients are Christian. It's not necessarily because I promote that I'm a coach who's Christian. However, my values and beliefs and all those things around it, I think, are just a magnet that draw people into those same common beliefs and values.

David:

[15:36] Okay, very good. And that reminds me of the difference between branding and marketing, where branding is who am I, where marketing is who is my customer. And the importance of establishing your brand first is like, this is who I am authentically versus, oh, I want to reach a certain client, so I have to change to be of value to them. Because either you're going to be kind of like a fake in trying to do something you're not and it comes out in the end, or you end up getting those clients and you find out you don't like those clients.

Grant:

[16:14] Absolutely, absolutely, yeah. And no one wins in that situation, right? You're not satisfied with what you're doing and how much of a difference you're making, and they don't necessarily get the best out of you either, right? And so, it reminds me of that quote, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. thing yeah and so it's just getting very clear on

Grant:

[16:31] who are you what are your values what do you believe in and how do you want to operate yeah.

David:

[16:36] Okay anything else as far as goals um that you can think of that would help a business owner establish goals I guess here's one question just thought of I know I’ve talked to people about what goals do you have and they're like we don't set goals we just work as hard as we can and let the chips fall where they may what would you say to a business owner like that

Grant:

[17:02] I would say sometimes there's a time and place for things like that. However, you're probably missing out on so much more that you could achieve or do or pass on.Coming back to your purpose, when you understand your purpose and your bigger reason why, do you want to just be working in the way that you're doing it at the moment or do you want to consider a more effective or more efficient, a more pragmatic way to get there at the end of the day? And so whatever the circumstance and there's no actual no judgment in this is for you to get a different result you need to do a different thing yeah or go about it in a different way and so I invite people just for 90 days is try doing something different for the next 90 days but do it again coming back show time and habits in a consistent repeatable way and just see where it leads you to and then if you feel like you need to go back to the way you were then by all means do so but for 90 days without hesitation without doubt without shiny object syndrome taking off path bother and pursue something that you set a mini goal for and do everything you can for those 90 days and just see where you end up because once you get going you might discover new things and you might discover new ways that will get you to a better outcome whatever better means to you.

David:

[18:24] I always think in my mind I wonder if people are just being lazy and don't want to set a goal and maybe the business is going good enough. But I think you're right in that if you have a purpose and you're earning money for something... Maybe it could be done easier, or maybe you could give more money to that cause or whatever you have. So, is there anything you're looking forward to in the next year that's something new on your horizon?

Grant:

[18:53] Like you, and this podcast has certainly engaged it even more, preparing for it and getting ready for it, is, yeah, how do you make a bigger difference? How we make a big contribution and leave a bigger impact and legacy, whether it's my family, whether it's my community, whether it's the clients I serve. So, scaling and trying to not scale in the same way that everybody else does it is just, again, leaning into God and asking for his wisdom and direction and how to scale and make a bigger impact on others.

David:

[19:23] All right. Sounds good. So how can my audience find out more about you if they want to engage you or to learn more about yourself? So how can they do that?

Grant:

[19:33] Funny enough, I'm not hot on social media, but if you did, LinkedIn is one of the best ways to find me on LinkedIn. Otherwise, even though my business is the back-end office is Lifestyle Results Coach, because I believe it's not just in business that you can make a difference, but you can make it in life and more. So, I am part of the Focal Point group, so you can find me at grantfisher.focalpoint.com. And yeah, those are the two places the website or otherwise LinkedIn are the primary two places you can find me.

David:

[20:05] Okay that's very good so in closing we've talked about a lot of things as far as goals and setting goals and how to set them and what the pitfalls are do you have one challenge for us that if they basically if they forget everything else in this podcast what one thing would you like my audience to remember.

Grant:

[20:25] One, David it's what I mentioned earlier. Set a 90-day goal. Just give it a go. I implore you, just give it a go. That's on goals. They don't have to be huge in the first step but do something. Get going. It's a bit like riding a bike. Start that bike. Start pedaling. If it's wobbly at the beginning, that's okay. Just keep pedaling and just keep moving. Take consistent action for 90 days and then reassess and decide what you want to do from there. But forget about everything else. Just set a 90-day goal on something and take consistent action and lean into the Bible and God. time while you do so.

David:

[21:00] Great point, Grant. 90 days. No, that's good. I know you've challenged me and that's kind of what's gotten me going for a few times is just setting a 90-day goal because I can always change it later on. It's not set in stone for the rest of my life. So that's very good. Well, friends, that's all for now. And as you go about your day, remember that time has limits. You can't do everything. So, choose wisely.