Pick the Right Goals So You Can Succeed

The other day I was helping my daughter prepare for her volleyball team tryouts. She was getting frustrated as she was comparing herself to some of the other girls who were also trying out for the team. She kept focusing on “the numbers.” How many times she could serve a ball properly. How many times she could bump the ball. The problem was she wasn’t hitting her desired numbers. I asked, “What are you focusing on?” “I’m trying to get at least this number on this drill.” Then I asked a question, “What do you think will happen if you just focus on making the best hit you can?” She said she didn’t know and I suggested she try that first. Soon after focusing on hitting each ball the best she could, her performance on the drill dramatically improved. She even exceeded her own expectations. This encounter reminded me of what we face in our practices and business.

Monitor What’s Important

When we set out to perform any task in which we want to monitor progress, often we pick a number that isn’t right for us. We compare ourselves to others and set numbers that actually might hurt us in some different ways. If we aren’t honest with ourselves, we might cheat a little here or there to make our numbers. We might beat ourselves up for not making our numbers. It can become an emotional stressor for us. If we examine what happened with Wells-Fargo, we can see what people will do to make arbitrary numbers. What would have happened if Wells-Fargo had an objective of finding qualified new customers instead of a specific number of new accounts? What if their metric was focused on quality instead of quantity? Focused on the customer instead of themselves? I doubt they would have the black eye they are currently wearing.

As you practice your craft, your mission and purpose should be focused on doing your very best every time for every customer. Put quality before quantity. To be a great company, first focus on doing a good, if not the best, job instead of trying to obtain some arbitrary numbers. Leaders sometimes think they need to focus on numbers. That’s fine but first, do a really good job.

How to Set Your Number

Where do you get your numbers and how do you set them? It begins with establishing real, tangible objectives. Setting numbers is important, but they must support your objectives. You may have heard of setting SMART objectives before. These objectives are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Next, you will create goals, daily or regular activities, that will get you to your objective. Your goals should always support your objectives. For example, let’s suppose I want to lose 20 pounds. That is my objective. My goals would be to eat healthy foods every day, exercise every day, and restrict my caloric intake. These goals directly support my objective, and if I perform them, I’ll likely reach my objective.

Quantity vs. Quality

The next item you will want to focus on is whether you are monitoring quantity or quality? What you monitor will tend to determine what you’re doing. Be diligent and certain the metric you have chosen is either quantity or quality based. Avoid picking a quantity number just because it’s a big number or one you can brag about. Instead, you might consider picking a quality metric such as the number of defects, delays, etc. Get the quality right, then focus on quantity.

Sustainable, Realistic Growth

Most of want to grow our businesses. It seems to be the natural order of things. As we plan our growth, we should ensure our desire growth is sustainable. Make certain you have the capacity to grow in every area of your business. Many times we want to grow sales rapidly but have we considered what that will require? Do we have the necessary support staff in place? Who are they and where are they required? How will we accommodate the growth? What happens if we grow too fast? How will our customers feel if we cannot handle the growth? If we make quantity-based metrics, we might overlook some of these questions. Only move your numbers on quantity after you hit your quality metrics. After you have your system down and it reliably creates a quality product or service, then you can consider growth and expansion.

Picking the Proper Benchmarks

Benchmarks are great to use a reference but pick ones that are right for you. Many times we have a little envy when we pick our numbers. Sometimes we pick a number that is focused on our own desires and wants. I think this leads to taking our eye off the ball. If we pick a number that says we want to grow 10% this year if we hit that number, who benefits, us or the customer? Rather, I’d prefer you to say, “There are customers we aren’t serving today. I think there are 10% more customers out there that can benefit from our goods/services. Let’s find those customers.” It’s a subtle difference but one that completely changes your frame of mind as you approach your metrics. Instead of focusing on your needs and wants, you’re focused on finding the customers who will benefit from your goods and services. The message you send out is different. It also will help you stay focused on quality.

Pick the right metrics for you and understand what they are. Determine if the metrics are quality or quantity metrics. Ask who benefits if you reach your metrics, you or the customer? These questions will help you make more effective decisions as you improve your processes and grow your business.