Setting goals has almost reached humorous status, especially when labeled
as New Year’s resolutions. We don’t realistically think that
we will meet our goals; rather we wonder how many days will go by before
we discard them. However, goal setting works if done properly and most
successful people will tell you that they regularly set goals. So let’s
explore how to effectively set goals that can help you to change and improve.
Mission Statement
The first step in goal setting is to develop a good mission statement.
The mission statement is the compass by which all goals and all success
is measured. The mission statement itself is not a goal, but rather
a statement of direction and purpose. The mission statement should be
simple, and is generally never more than one to three sentences. By
first identifying what you want your life or practice to look like,
you can then set the appropriate goals to help you get there.
The intended audience of your personal mission statement is you. We
can all use occasional course corrections and the personal mission statement
helps us to do that.
The intended audience of the business mission statement is first you
and your team and, second, your patients. You and your team read it
to make sure you are still moving in the right direction, and the patients
read it to understand your commitment to them and to their health care.
Sample Personal Mission Statement
I will continually improve so that I can be the best person,
husband and father as is humanly possible. I will be responsible to
support my family financially, emotionally and spiritually.
Sample Business Mission Statement
ABC Chiropractic is committed to providing superior care
with kindness, enthusiasm and integrity.
Goals
When setting goals you should always start with the long term goals
and work towards the short term goals. So start with your ten year goals,
then move to your five year goals, then one year, then one month and
finally daily goals. Then determine the specific action steps that will
help you to accomplish those goals. Let me give you a few examples to
show you how this works.
In
my own family, we have also developed a family mission statement.
I have five children and years ago we decided as a family, (OK,
I strongly encouraged it), that it would be a good idea to have
a simple statement that incorporated our hopes and desires.
Hart Family Mission Statement
Be good and have fun.
Couldn't be much simpler, could it? My children used to jokingly
ask if we could reverse it and put the "have fun" part
first, but we left it as it was. The beauty of this mission statement
is that it clearly defines who we are striving to be. As individuals
and as a family we want to be good -- meaning do the things we are
supposed to do and not do the things we are not supposed to do --
and we want to have fun while we're doing it.
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Example 1
 You
want to lose 40 pounds and keep it off by permanently changing your
diet and exercise habits. Calculating that you could lose a pound a
week, you feel that you can lose the weight in a one year period. So
your goals might look like this.
10 year goal
Maintain weight at 185 lbs.
5 year goal
Maintain weight at 185 lbs.
1 year goal
Reduce my weight to 185 lbs.
1 month goal
Reduce my weight to 221 lbs.
Action Steps
Unfortunately, the weight is not going to melt off just because you set
a goal, so now you have to nail down the specifics of how you are going
to change your behavior to achieve the desired result.
Diet - I will attend Weight Watchers meetings weekly beginning December
15, 2007, and follow the program faithfully.
Exercise - I will go to the gym 5 mornings per week arriving at 7:00 AM.
I will work out with the weights on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and
I will ride the stationary bike on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Example 2
You want to improve your relationship with your spouse. This is a great
goal, but it is harder to measure as it tends to be fairly subjective.
10 year goal
Maintain a loving relationship with my spouse.
5 year goal
Maintain a loving relationship with my spouse.
1 year goal
To improve my relationship with my spouse as measured by her opinion of
that relationship.
Action Steps
I will take my spouse on a weekly date, ideally each Friday night.
I will talk to my spouse every evening after work, for at least 30 minutes
without distractions such as the television.
? I will tell my spouse that I love her at least one time a day.
Example 3
You want to increase your new patient average to 25 per month.
10 year goal
Maintain an average of 25 new patients per month.
5 year goal
Maintain an average of 25 new patients per month.
1 year goal
Increase my average number of new patients to 25 per month by the end
of 2008.
Action Steps
I will develop a 12 month marketing calendar for internal marketing prior
to January 1, 2008.
I will review the calendar with my team on a monthly basis and enlist
their assistance in implementing the various strategies.
I will pass out a minimum of 30 business cards per month.
I will participate in a minimum of 4 health fair/screening opportunities
in 2008.
I will ask for referrals a minimum of 5 times per day.
Miscellaneous Do's and Don'ts
Don't set too many goals. It is better to set one or two important goals
each year and actually achieve them, than to set many goals and accomplish
none.
M
ake sure your goals are measurable. A difficult to measure goal such as
"increase my spirituality" might be written as: I will read
the scriptures daily, or pray daily.
As noted above always, always, always translate your goals into action
steps; the more specific, the better.
Schedule your time. You won't exercise, or talk to your spouse, or practice
that musical instrument if you don't schedule it.
Robert Hart is the
founder and owner of Hart Consulting. Through seminars and personal coaching
he has been assisting Doctors of Chiropractic achieve both their practice
and personal goals for the past 18 years. Mr. Hart can be contacted at
480-892-4621, rob@hart-consulting.com, or www.hart-consulting.com. |
