It's important to have goals. However, if goals are not specific they become problematic. Having goals like increasing patient retention numbers and improving case acceptance are great, but without actionable specific items, these are not really goals at all.An example of effective, inspiring goal-setting I often use is President John F. Kennedy's 1961 speech where he said that the nation should "commit itself to the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." No vague talk about "exploring space in future years" or anything like that. It was a specific, measurable goal that was stated publicly with a specific timeline. Thousands of people were put into action as a result of that speech, and as we all know that ambitious goal was achieved in 1969.
This is an important lesson when it comes to setting goals for your team. It is not enough to say that you want to concentrate on production or keep an eye on accounts receivable. This doesn't give people a concrete vision and it doesn't tell them how they will know if they succeeded. Most of all, it doesn't give them a plan for what to change in their daily behaviors to achieve that goal. If anything, it can be demoralizing to a team because they know it is something you want, but they are not necessarily sure how to go about achieving it. Most people don't mind having a challenging goal put before them, as long as they are clear about expectations for their role.
So how high do you think your patient retention should be? Should it be 90 percent? How about 95 percent? When do you think the practice should be able to achieve that number? How many patients need to walk out today with a confirmed future appointment to keep you on track toward that goal? Who is accountable for recording and reporting progress in this area?
When you provide definitive answers to questions for every improvement you want to see in your practice, you're providing your team with a clear sense of direction and purpose, and this is what leadership is all about.