Notably Green: October 2020

So, what is a BHAG? It stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Have you ever had one of those? They say that 'If your goals don't scare you, they aren't big enough.' And this one - 'When you want something as bad as you want to breathe, then you will succeed.'

Do you personally have any BHAGS? The reason I ask is people become part of BNI to generate referrals in order to make more money and grow their business. Why, so they can buy that larger home for their family, travel more and take their family on dream vacations, save money for their children for college, have more free time to spend with their families or play golf or whatever their hobbies and interests might be.

Typically people think about their goals at the beginning of a new year or when they start a new job or new business or most anything they start new. As of October 1st, we started a new term with BNI. Many of you started a new Leadership position in your BNI Chapter. I bring this up because now is the time that the new chapter Leadership Teams sets their goals. So, what would you like to see for goals for your chapter? Why do I ask? Because whatever the goals are for your chapter, has an impact on your success. Is your chapter setting goals and implementing mechanisms and strategies to help their members meet their BHAGs? Setting and having goals is like having a roadmap with a designated destination in mind. Without goals, you're just wandering around with no intentions of getting anywhere.

Chapter Members depend on their Leadership Team to set the Vision, Mission, and Goals for their Chapter. Every business has these and your BNI Chapter should be no different. The Vision, Mission, Goals, and Mechanisms are what keeps a BNI Chapter moving forward. It's the roadmap to help chapter members get more referrals, get more revenue, and grow their business. Does your chapter have a vision, mission, and goals? Are they announced periodically at your meeting and compared to the actuals? Are they entered in BNIConnect so members can view? Ask your Leadership Team what your Chapter's Goals are.

For the most part, successful motivated members want to be part of a successful motivated chapter. They want to be a part of a team that also values their worth. If members don't perceive they are valued or getting the value of their membership, they will leave. Members need to know what the goals and strategies are for the chapter and why they will help them be successful. Members need to understand WIIFM (what's in it for me). If members don't understand why inviting visitors will help them get more business, then they are not going to put forth the effort to invite. So when a chapter LT sets their goals for their chapter, they need to also have a clear plan in place to roll out the goals to the chapter members and explain how the chapter goals are going to help each member increase their bottom line.

Why is all of this important? For a BNI Chapter to be successful it needs their Leadership Team to set a clear vision, mission, goals, and mechanisms. Depending on how the chapter is currently doing, depends on where the chapter focus will be. Sometimes chapters just need to get back to the basics and do a re-boot. Start from scratch as if all the members were brand new. For the Leadership Team, I would advise looking at your chapter as if you were the new coach. Is your team struggling? Are they on-hold, waiting to go back to in-person meetings? Or on fire? It doesn't matter if you're meeting in person or on Zoom, the basics of BNI are still the same. And if the basic principles of BNI are implemented and followed, you will have successful members as well as a successful chapter. It is up to the Leaders of the chapter to set the tone, be the role models, and LEAD their members to success. Leaders are expected set the Goals, design the mechanisms, and implement the plan that will help members be successful.

If you or your chapter need help and support, reach out to your Support Director Consultant.

Here are some additional resources:

Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be - Jack Canfield

Vince Lombardi Got it Right - Dr. Misner

Is Your Chapter on Fire, On Hold, or in a Hole - Dr. Misner

Leadership Team Vision & Goals - BNI University

Goals Training - BNI University

And join the Facebook Group - Notably Green

I encourage you to access the podcasts via BNI University so that you show up on the Leader board for your Chapter and your area. To make it easier, you can also download the app to your smart device. It's available from ITunes and Google. Also, be sure and report your CEUs, 1 hour = 1 CEU.