Hi Reader,

Below is a FREE copy of Chapter 4 of my new book TO GETTING IT DONE. Now that we’re halfway through the year, it’s a fitting and friendly reminder of three of the most essential tools you can use to grow, achieve your goals, and get successful results for the remainder of the year.

Best, Michael

To Getting It Done!

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Chapter 4. What’s Your Habit? Process? Goal?

Bottom Line Up Front: Create simple habits, processes, and goals to make the infrastructure work!

“If you want to turn a vision into reality, you have to give 100 percent and never stop believing in your dream.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

Three of the most powerful and vital tools you can use to help you achieve your desired result are habits, processes, and goals. When you use these obvious and simple tools to work on your infrastructure, you’ll be amazed at how smoothly everything runs. You add in “taking care of the people,” which I talk about in another chapter, and it’s magical how you can achieve what’s most important to you in a smooth and organized manner.

All three of these tools will help you achieve your desired results. It’s that simple. At the end of the day, that’s what you are trying to create—your desired result!

INFRASTRUCTURE

Before you do anything, start with what I like to call infrastructure. What’s infrastructure? The best way for me to explain infrastructure is to tell you a sea story. Whenever I reported to a new duty station in the Navy, I would start by analyzing what I call infrastructure. I started this when I heard someone say this word in an indoctrination class while I was reporting to my first shore command. I was coming off my first submarine, USS Memphis (SSN 691), and was fired up and ready to get to work. The speaker was talking about the infrastructure of the command, and something just clicked for me. This word resonated with me, and for the next three decades, it would serve me well at over fifteen different commands.

Remember: I always tell you to do what works for you, and this worked for me. It was a word that I defined as “how does everything work?” and besides that, it was a fun word to say! Infrastructure can be things like how the organization flows; whether they have everything needed to be successful, such as supplies or computers; does the chain of command communicate effectively; how does correspondence flow; who does what, and are they doing it?

Are we getting our part of the mission done? If not, where are the weak links? Basically, does the dang thing work how it’s supposed to, and if not, what needs to be tweaked, made better, or flat-out changed if the infrastructure is broken?

Here’s how you can use infrastructure in your job, business, or any organization.

• Analyze the infrastructure. How? Just look around. Ask yourself questions about what you are supposed to be doing. What’s working? What’s not working? Ask your people the same questions.

• Fix the infrastructure. How? Create habits, processes, and goals. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, so they say. Gradually make one new habit, fix one process, and have one primary goal. Keep building daily and use your resources to help you, especially the people. Go after quick wins first to gain momentum.

This infrastructure process works regardless of your business, job, or organization size.

Obviously, the key is growth, and you will have to focus on that, but first, you must make the infrastructure work now! Then, while you are making it work, if you see a growth opportunity, take it! You should always focus on growing to the moon, even when making the infrastructure work!

Let me give you a great example. Upon reporting to a submarine repair ship in Guam, the USS Frank Cable (AS 40), the department I was assigned to was not working—the infrastructure was clearly broken. This department supported 1,500 overseas personnel. The department was being run by another department head, meaning he ran two departments. This was not efficient or effective.

So for the next few weeks, several things happened.

The first thing I did was to get the department assigned to me. I immediately noted that most people were doing their job, so I had no doubt it could continue to run while I analyzed the infrastructure.

Second, I studied the infrastructure. I did this quickly with the plan to implement ASAP habits and processes to make the day-to-day operations work and flow smoothly.

Third, I implemented or tweaked existing processes and habits to ensure efficient and effective daily functioning.

Fourth, I assembled the people in the department and shared with them what we had done as a team so far. I ensured they understood our department’s mission, how they contribute, where we were that day, and where we were going. This was also the time to create one primary goal with the team.

Fifth, I established that one primary goal.

Sixth, we got busy taking action.

So in summary, I used habits, processes, and goals to fix the infrastructure.

WHAT’S YOUR HABIT?

Create habits to get to your desired result. A habit is simply something you do over and over, as the situation dictates, to get a desired result. Attack this first, as I consider creating habits low-hanging fruit or, in other words, reasonably easy to get started. The best way to begin creating habits is to use what I like to call Dailies. Dailies are things you do every day to achieve your desired result. You probably remember me discussing Dailies in Chapter 3 regarding elements of your game plan. Dailies are things you do every day such as working out for one hour, working on a primary goal, reviewing one process, reading for one hour, and taking a walk around your business to find at least one employee to compliment on their work.

Remember: Create habits to help you solve problems, improve daily, and achieve your desired result.

WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS?

Create processes to help you achieve your desired result. A process is the actions you take, in a particular order, to complete your habit or accomplish a task. Use the KISS method. KISS stands for Keep It Simple, Silly (some people say stupid, but I’d never call you stupid).

The processes you use are among the most important keys to success. Processes can be used in many ways in your business and personal life. For example, you can create a process for creating your Plan of the Day, conducting financial statement reviews with your team at work, or for how each person is supposed to do their job. In the Navy, we call these Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs, and we have one for everything.

What I like most about a process is that if it’s not getting you the desired result, you can tweak it or create a new one until you get your result. Or, simply put, if in your business, the salad bar needs to be kept up correctly during the lunch rush (as everybody likes salad for lunch) and it’s not being refilled in a timely manner, review the processes to see how you can make it work. If you review the process and it’s already correct, then train the employees.

It’s that simple. Either fix the process or train the employees on the current process, or both, depending on the situation.

WHAT’S YOUR GOAL?

Create goals to help you achieve your desired result. I consider goals one of the jewel tools of your toolbox. Once you establish your goal, you can create habits and processes to help you achieve the goal. Goals are often given a bad rap. Either they are too complicated, or you’re not inspired to do them after the first day when things start getting “too hard.” Everyone has a way for you to set goals. There’s the SMART method, the THIS method, and the THAT method. Heck, you almost need a goal to create a goal process. You must use the KISS method (see Chapter 12), take the next smallest step, and do what works for you.

Here’s what works for me: You create one goal, just one, that would have the most significant positive impact on your life or business. Here are my priority goal KISS rules (not to be confused with KISS the rock band, although they did and do still rule):

1. Set a timeline. The best goals are thirty-day goals, with a specific desired result due at the end of that thirty days.

2. Take specific daily action. Your goal should be one that you can take specific action on daily or for which you have direct control over the person who can take action on it daily, such as an employee. Make sure you work on this specific goal with importance and urgency until you complete the daily action. Hint: Make it a habit to use a process and make it part of your Plan of the Day.

3. Measure progress daily and evaluate it weekly to see how you are doing. Adjust as necessary. Remember (and I’ve said this before) what gets measured gets done or has an action taken towards it.

That’s it. The key is to work on this goal with importance and urgency until you complete the required daily action.

Now, isn’t that simple? Remember to make small course corrections throughout the day to keep you on track. In the Navy, ships and submarines always make course corrections to stay on the right track. Here’s a straightforward example I teach in my seminars:

Say you make $2,000 a month in your business by making an average of five sales calls daily. That’s twenty-five sales calls a week, and one hundred sales calls a month.

You establish a goal to make $4,000 a month in your business.

That means you’ll have to make an average of ten sales calls a day. That’s fifty sales calls a week, and two hundred sales calls a month. That means you or your employees will need to adjust the current habit and process being used to increase the number of sales calls per day, and you must adjust your Plan of the Day as well. Growth hint: If your infrastructure can handle it, double it and make it twenty sales calls a day!

Measure your progress daily and evaluate it weekly to see how you are doing. Then, adjust the process, habit, and Plan of the Day accordingly.

That’s it; it’s that simple.

Let me give you a simple, real-life example, and yes, it’s a sea story but in goal format:

Background: As the Commanding Officer of the Navy’s Pay and Personnel Support Command, my team and I were responsible for processing Permanent Change of Station (PCS) travel claims. That means anytime a Sailor and family moved on orders, they would file a travel claim for reimbursement. On any given day, we would have 5,000-plus claims on hand in various stages, with more coming in every day. Then COVID-19 happened, which negatively impacted the process in place. So we adjusted by creating a goal and revising our procedures and habits. There were many issues that we still had to overcome, many of which were beyond our control, but because we understood how to tweak on our goal, we were able to achieve it.

1. 30-Day GOAL: To complete 5,000 travel claims per month.

2. Specific daily action: To complete 250 travel claims each business day.

3. Measure: Complete a daily report detailing how many travel claims were completed on that day. Complete a report on Monday detailing how many travel claims were completed in the past week.

4. Evaluate: Evaluate weekly report and make adjustments accordingly. You also reserve the right to make adjustments daily to achieve the desired result. For example, you never knew when either employees or a workspace would become impacted by COVID-19.

Result: The team completed more than 250 travel claims each business day and over 5,000 travel claims per month, even during COVID-19 in a displaced work environment, just by following this simple goal.

You may be wondering whether you can have more than one goal. Yes, but remember: Your primary goal takes precedence. After you’ve completed the actions on your primary goal for the day, you can work on secondary goals. But in that case, the same rules apply regarding creation and tracking. It’s also funny how when you focus on that one primary goal, that you work so hard on each day, the other goals you want to complete end up getting some energy or momentum from your primary goal and do what I like to call “get hot” and end up getting done or close to done. Think big, but if you can’t take action on a goal daily and measure it, make it smaller until you can. Think big and take the next smallest step today.

Here’s another great and simple example from Arnold Schwarzenegger, another inspiring individual with a vision. He established his primary goal to work out every day because he wanted to be the youngest Mr. Universe in history and the greatest bodybuilder of all time. So, he created a vision, had a goal, and took action daily by bodybuilding for five to six hours every day.

As you know, he achieved his primary goal and also completed many other what appeared to be impossible visions and goals along the way. You can too! It all starts with that one primary goal.

Let me share one more note about goals. There are naysayers out there who believe you should not set goals because sometimes (and you know yourself better than I do) people don’t finish them or stay with them when it gets too hard or gets overcome by life. I’d disagree, and here’s why: Even if you don’t achieve your goal, you get better simply by trying.

I’ll use the example of my experience completing travel claims during COVID-19. We set a goal to complete 250 claims each business day. There were days when we did achieve this goal, and there were days we did not, but because we had this goal, this target, this sense of urgency, and a momentum creator, we got better each day. We still improved our process each day. We still created new, positive habits each day. In other words, by having this goal, striving daily to achieve this goal, and getting a little bit better each day, we set ourselves up for success to achieve this goal.

Simply put: Having a goal makes you better!

I’ve attached a goal creation worksheet for your use at the end of this chapter. Use it to create your goal(s). (You can download this worksheet at https://www.togettingitdone.com/​

In summary: Evaluate your infrastructure and create simple habits, processes, and goals to improve daily and achieve your desired result.

P.S. Launch your success now with these 3 game-changing tools. Get them now at https://www.togettingitdone.com/​ Expert Coaching, achieve goals, get successful results! Free 30-minute session ($500.00 value) for a limited time - my way of giving back. Free Coaching & Tools, straight to your email inbox, 52 weeks worth (that’s 1 year free). Success stories, toolbook you can use, created from 38 years of Navy experience and success! Please feel free to share this with your team or others that may benefit from “To Getting It Done”! Thank you! ​ MICHAEL A. WHITT To Getting It Done! Website: https://www.togettingitdone.com/​ Email: michael@togettingitdone.com​ Cell: (808) 295-1591​ Q: Have you helped someone else to make the world a better place today? ​​​

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