BUSINESS

  personnel pointers

Team Goal Setting

Help create and meet your 2015 goals with the help of your staff

REBECCA L. JOHNSON, CPOT, COT, COE

With the new year right around the corner, it is time to create goals for 2015. For many practices, goal setting is played out as one of the following scenarios:

1. The doctor decides the revenue goal for the year and gives the employees the numbers.

2. The doctor decides the revenue goal for the year and determines a team bonus structure to encourage meeting the goal.

3. The doctor hopes that next year is better, but does not set a solid, measurable goal that includes the whole team.

These scenarios have one thing in common: The doctor is the only one creating the goal.

This year, why not include staff in this process? Here are tips to accomplish this:

Get together

Block the patient schedule for a four-hour “state-of-the-practice” meeting, held at a site away from the office, such as a hotel conference room, to avoid distraction.

Begin the meeting by recognizing both team and individual performances, and discuss the end-of-year results, along with the projected goal for 2015.

Create S.M.A.R.T. goals

Next, divide team members into groups based on their role in the office: technicians, billers, front desk and opticians.

Give each group one hour and a flip chart or whiteboard to create three S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant, Timely) goals that the group agrees to be accountable for throughout the year to help meet the overall practice goal.

For example, a S.M.A.R.T. goal for “increasing AR sales” would look like the chart below.

Reconvene for discussion

Once all groups have completed their S.M.A.R.T. goals, gather your staff back together, and have each team present their goals to the rest of the group.

As the goals are presented, encourage the other groups to give ideas as to how they can assist their teammates in meeting their goals. For example, after hearing the opticians’ goal to increase AR sales, the technician team may agree to begin discussing AR during pre-testing.

A group effort

Be sure to keep the goals in the forefront throughout the year so the staff continues working toward them. Hang them in the break room, and openly celebrate success at regular intervals.

Allowing staff to create their own goals will improve employee job satisfaction and increase team buy-in and accountability — and help your practice grow. OM

MS. JOHNSON IS THE FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF EYETRAIN4YOU AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SERVICES FOR GPN. E-MAIL HER AT REBECCA@EYETRAIN4YOU.COM, OR SEND COMMENTS TO OPTOMETRICMANAGEMENT@GMAIL.COM.