Aim Small, Miss Small
In the US military, elite service members are selected or volunteer for sniper school. Separate from the regular infantry, snipers go through further training and extensive challenging courses. Apart from being mentally and physically fit candidates for sniper school have to be elite marksman, and upon entering selection they receive additional expert training with their rifles to achieve world class accuracy and proficiency. The importance of the mastery of their service weapon, a deep understanding of its operations and value is taught intensively.
In the Marine Corps, Scout Snipers recite and memorize the rifleman’s creed; an ode to their service weapon, lauding its importance, appreciation for its capabilities and a covenant to its mastery.
During sniper school on range days where candidates practice shooting on the path to expert status, the instructors often use a simple yet precise phrase “aim small, miss small.” when candidates are lining up targets.
When setting goals in life and in business it’s important to have a direction in mind, a point on the target to shoot for, a specific direction which to set your sights on.
Aiming small is getting specific, isolating not just on the bullseye but a corner of the bullseye. Locking on to a pinpoint helps you gain accuracy and achieve goals both in the short and long term.
As a rifleman, there are so many factors to consider after pulling the trigger to hitting a target sometimes over a half mile away. Along the distance there are a plethora of factors to take into account that affect the shot: different wind speeds, varying wind direction, gravity, temperature, humidity, elevation, even the earth’s curve can have an effect. However, by getting super precise and aiming for a specific point all external factors have less of an impact as they are accounted for in greater detail. Will the final shot land at the exact point originally aimed for? Not necessarily, however the margin of error was so significantly mitigated because of the intense and isolated aim, the shot still landed on target relative to attaining the positive score and objective.
Similar principles apply to work and life, by getting specific when setting goals for your business you’re able to remain more focused and homed in on them, outside factors have less of an impact as a specific objective is not allowed as much room to waver or change than a vague one.
As an example, let’s say you list your business’ goal as to “be profitable” of get a “lot of sales” by year end. Sounds positive and forward-thinking, but objectives like this are not specific and open the door to outside factors which can change or misdirect outcomes and results.
What specifically does “be profitable” or ‘make lots of sales” actually mean? It changes for every business, making sales could be selling 10 units or onboarding 4 clients, profitability is relative of course, what is your overhead or debt etc. Allowing room for variables is allowing room for failure, don’t allow your success to be left up to interpretation.
You know your business, you know the numbers you need to hit, so just as the rifleman, call them out aim specifically and fire.
Goals should look like “get to $100,000 profit” or sell “1,000 units” specific numbers by a specific timeframe. Those are examples or clear and targeted goals where success, standards and improvements can be set and acted upon consistently.
Aiming small means aiming specific, staying targeted and realistic. In doing so you are able to set real objectives, stay focused, limit external inputs and stay on course.
To gain personalized guidance for your business on this topic and others contact us.
- Vince Calace
Founder - Venture Business Development