The first quarter of 2018 has rapidly come to an end. What steps have you taken to achieve the goals you’ve set for your business this year? How much progress have you made? Have you already logged a string of successes, or are you struggling?

Business owners and entrepreneurs set their sights on a number of goals every year. The problem is a lot of those goals are left unaccomplished due to flaws in the planning stage. Here are some common goal-setting mistakes.

• Setting goals that are too lofty or unrealistic.
• Not taking the proper steps to see goals through.
• Not working together as a team to achieve goals.
• Not defining the goals in a way you, and anyone in your organization, can clearly understand.
• Not having a tracking system in place to monitor and review progress.

As you work toward your goals, it’s critical to celebrate the smaller milestones along the way. Recognizing achievements keeps your team energized and motivated. As part of the celebration, discuss what still needs to be done to accomplish big-picture goals.

If you find yourself or your team falling short of expectations, use this as a learning opportunity. Evaluate your progress and see if you can identify any roadblocks. Did you give yourself and your team enough resources? Were goals miscommunicated? Did changes in your business, your community, or the economy affect your goals? How can you get back on track?

If you need to make changes or recalibrate — do it! The longer you wait to adapt to changing circumstances, the longer it will take to find the right course. Even the best-laid plans can be disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. It’s up to you and your team to embrace change.

It’s not uncommon for marketing strategies to evolve over the course of a year. You may discover that certain aspects of your referral campaign aren’t working. Trimming the fat isn’t necessarily easy, but taking the time to do so will set you up for better results in the long run. Don’t be afraid to make decisive cuts. If a strategy or a goal simply wasn’t a good fit, say goodbye and revisit it later.

For now, take some time to review your Q1 progress. What do you need to do to make Q2 — and the rest of 2018 — a smashing success?