BUSINESS

  BY THE NUMBERS

RE-EVALUATE 2016 GOALS

AS YOU SET GOALS FOR 2017, EXAMINE WHAT DID AND DID NOT WORK THIS YEAR

JAY BINKOWITZ

EACH YEAR, I reflect on the goals I set out for myself, analyze my success and decide where to focus for the upcoming year. I sit — with a tall glass of a good red wine — and try to be as objective as I can. I start with the list of goals I set out to accomplish and rate my success in accomplishing them. I utilize 0 to 5: 0, did not start; 3, neutral; and 5, success. Here are examples:

• Hire two team members: 5

• Purchase equipment: 5

• Increase revenue per exam: 3

• Refresh the optical: 0

• Decrease accounts receivable: 2

• Provide special training for the team: 4

Your goal is to celebrate your successes, and address the obstacles that prevented you from achieving all you had hoped. Ask yourself, “How can I make adjustments to accomplish them in the next year?” As you look to the past to learn for the future, think about this: To affect change, your vision, skills, incentive, resources and action plan must all align.

Here, I discuss implementing and achieving your business goals.

LOOK TO 2017

After all these years, I still feel the best approach is “Less is more.” Six goals is a manageable number, in my opinion. We all too often create very aggressive wish lists and set ourselves — and our teams — up for failure. Think about this: If you implement one new initiative every other month, you would transform your business with six accomplishments each year. (Wow!) Or, perhaps, you could set up a plan for one goal per quarter; this too would have high impact.

The real question is: What have you done to prepare yourself and your team to achieve your goals? For example, have you provided special training, feedback or garnered information from peers? Understand why others fail so you may learn from their mistakes and, ultimately, succeed.

Create a pathway for accomplishing your goal. (You should never try something just because it “sounds” like a good idea. This a waste of time and money.)

1. Sit with your team, and make sure your vision is clear.

2. Ask your team members for their feedback regarding the pros and cons of a given goal. But, do not let the cons stop you, if the goal is a worthy one.

3. Ask your team to help create the plan to succeed. Inclusion is key.

4. Provide a reward to acknowledge success. This could be anything from a great dinner to a spa day or a financial incentive.

5. Make it clear that failure is not an option; and it is not a question of whether you will accomplish this goal, but rather how it will be accomplished.

GET STARTED

Take your list of goals and what you have learned from your reflection, then adopt the most effective way to achieve them. Take into consideration these words from Arthur Burt, “Nothing happens until the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of change.”

Wishing you all a 2017 full of cheers and celebrations! OM

MR. BINKOWITZ is president of GPN, a leading business management company based in Farmingdale, N.Y. He has had extensive experience in retail operations, merchandising and marketing. Email him at AskJay@GatewayPN.com, or to comment on this article, visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment.