Serious question. Have you ever tried to run on a treadmill? It can be quite intimidating, especially if you’re not used to running at all. Many people, who try it, also find it dull and uninspiring.
Tor Inge is an experienced runner. Having grown up in Norway, he’s been jogging around fjords and mountains since childhood, and lately he’s been doing lots of running after his grandchildren. He’s not a big fan of exercising indoors; however, during a typical Norwegian winter with freezing temperatures, snowstorms, and wind chill nearing zero, a treadmill is a good alternative to running outside.
It happened during one of those extra cold winter days when Tor Inge decided to hop on a treadmill and run a half marathon — 21 kilometers (13.1 miles). It was a spur-of-the-moment idea with no specific motive aside from giving his body some exercise. Running such a distance is a challenging endeavor even for experienced runners, but Tor Inge had a plan.
Instead of focusing on the length of the run, Tor Inge broke the journey into chunks and celebrated every kilometer he passed. Coming onto the 16th kilometer, he imagined people clapping and cheering him on from the sidelines. It might have been all in his head; however, those cheers and small celebrations along the way are what carried him across the finish line.
The same applies to businesses. Especially with big hairy audacious goals (BHAGs), a term coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, which are not achievable without splitting them up into minor goals and setting milestones along the journey.
What we recommend is setting a milestone for every important achievement in a project. (Make sure each milestone has a fixed date and an assigned owner.) Using milestones will help you monitor the project progress, keep the project on track, and see at a glance if things start to fall behind schedule. And here comes the best advice of all — celebrate each milestone achievement! This will not only help you and your team stay motivated throughout the journey, but it will also help lift your spirit and enhance your willingness to keep going. We need to party more!
