The Art of Goal Planning

by Mark Opperman, CVPM
VMC, Inc. Evergreen, CO 80439

There is an art to goal planning. It is not simply writing down a list of things you want to accomplish in the next year but truly working out the details of what you wish to do and how you wish to incorporate them into your practice. In order for goals to be successful, they must be S.M.A.R.T. goals, this is an acronym for, Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time bound. Any goal you set for yourself or your practice must be a S.M.A.R.T. goal.

These are the five requirements of effective goal planning:
  1. Be specific rather than general - Define your goals and objectives and indicate the means for attaining them.
  2. Distinguish between the known and the unknown - Make your goal planning more than just anticipation and reaction.
  3. Make your plan as logical and practical as possible - Intelligent thinking should serve as the foundation for your goal planning.
  4. Introduce flexibility and looseness - So that the plan may readily be modified if circumstances require. Recognize that no plan is infallible, nor can it cover all contingencies.
  5. Be sure your goals are consistent - Your goals should be in accord with your practice philosophies.
Once your understand goal planning, the next step is to get started. I think you should develop three different plans, you should consider one year goals, five year goals and your lifetime goals. You will find it is easier to develop the one and five year goals, the further out we look, the harder it is to develop a plan. However, the lifetime goals are important because the one and five year goals will be stepping stones to them.

I think that you should develop plans that are all inclusive. When doing your goal planning think about practice goals but also consider financial, physical, intellectual, family, social and spiritual goals. They are all inter-related.

Since my specialty is your practice, let me list some areas for which I think you need to have specific goals stated. Remember, if you don't plan for it, how will you know whether or not you have achieved it. It is like going on vacation but not planning on going on vacation. How do you ever know if you are on vacation or not?

Specific goal planning for your practice should involve setting goals for the following:
  1. What gross income do you wish to achieve?
  2. How can you produce this gross income?
  3. Are you satisfied with your net income? If not, what steps are you going to take to improve your net?
  4. What improvement ideas should you implement in your practice this year?
  5. How much time off do you need to schedule for yourself?
  6. What type of continuing education do you wish to attend this year?
  7. What improvements need to be made in the physical plant of the practice?
  8. What, if any, changes need to be made regarding your health care team?
These are but a few of the many areas of your practice you should consider when developing your practice's goal plan for the year. Another great idea is to plan a practice retreat where you can get the entire team involved in planning for the future success of your practice. The bottom line is that goal planning is an important concept and one that, if you are not now doing, you should consider. What better time to do that than the beginning of the year? Plan for your success-Happy New Year!

© 2007 Veterinary Management Consultation