A respected Nurse Practitioner who owns her own aesthetic practice recently shared her disappointment about the results of her business from the previous year.  She had made more money than in any previous year but was disappointed because she hadn't developed the part of her business that was important to her personally.  She shared, "I really wanted to see that division grow, but my plans got lost in the midst of running the business and listening to everyone else's needs.  This year I need to focus on what is important to me, but I'm not sure how."

This year, you probably have some new goals set for your own business or career.  Maybe you want a promotion to a new position, or you want to new skills to support your career.  It is always exciting to think about what you can accomplish if you focus on goals.

But often it is easier to set a goal than to create the plan to achieve that goal.  Co-workers and managers come and go.  A manager's requests take precedence over your objectives.  Pandemics arise and take the focus away from everything except survival.  Day to day life gets hectic and all of the sudden, you are simply surviving, and your goals have taken a back seat to everyone else's agenda.   So how do you keep your goals fresh and relevant so you can finish the year with a list of what you have accomplished?   It really is simple:   Focus on the gaps.

We've all heard of making your goals "SMART" - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.  That is a great guide for creating reasonably thought-out goals and objectives.  But once you have your goals identified, the hard work starts - achieving those goals.  So here are a couple of tips for making goal achievement more manageable.

1. Prioritize your goals - You can't do everything at once, so if you have several goals, decide the order of importance.  Then focus on the most critical goals or objectives first.  This will keep you from becoming overwhelmed and will help you gain the satisfaction of checking goals off of your list as the year progresses.

2. Identify Resources to Achieve that Goal - Once you have set your goals, identify what you already have to achieve those goals.  If you are looking to develop a specific skill, see if training is available or you have mentors that can support this education.   If you are looking for a new job, identify people you know who can refer you to new opportunities.   Assessing the existing resources that you already have to help you achieve your goal is like checking your kitchen before you go shopping - only buy the things you don't have for the recipe you want to make!

3. Focus on the Gaps - This one phrase will help you keep your goals in focus all year.  If you know your goal and know what resources you already have to achieve your goal, then whatever else you need or what you don't have is your "GAP".   And all of your efforts should be put into filling those gaps so that you have everything you need to achieve your goals.  Ask co-workers or employees/employers to fill the gaps with their time or their knowledge.  Ask vendors or sales reps to fill those gaps with their products or their promotions.  Ask patients to share their experiences if you try new products or procedures.  Filling the gaps is what will help you achieve your goals.

What does this look like?  

If you are an aesthetic injector, think about using your time wisely.  When a sales representative visits, they probably want you to buy something to help them achieve their sales goal.  Instead of listening to what they want to sell, streamline the meeting by reviewing your goals, sharing what you already have to achieve your goals and then focus on how that rep's product can help fill the gaps you have so you can achieve your goal.  It might sound like this:  "I'd like to start our meeting by reviewing the goals for my business.   This year, I'd like to grow my injectable business by 20%.  (The Goal) I have hired a second injector who is highly skilled (Resource you have), so now I want to bring more patients into my business to see this new injector. (The Gap) How can your product help me acquire more new patients?   The sales representative should now be focused on helping you achieve your goals with their product, an efficient plan for both of you.

If you are a Plastic Surgery specialist, think about clinical resources available to you.  When you identify CME opportunities, ensure that you are truly working toward achieving a learning goal and not just filling a requirement.  When looking at courses, think “I want to have better skills with patient education for post-op visits.” (The Goal) I know the clinical data (Resource you have) but would like to develop my patient communication skills (The Gap).  I need to find a course that focuses on communication.  You now can focus your search on courses that will help you achieve your learning goal.  

When you set goals, remember to also focus your awareness on the gaps that are preventing you from achieving your goals.  That will help you find the resources to check those goals off the list one by one.

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