Establishing Your Growth Goals

If you want to end the year and look back and say “wow, I had a good year” and really deep down feel satisfied with what you did all year you have to establish goals that are not just money, or volume or production based.

You need to think it through and say “I really wish I was better at ____ or I really wish I was able to do ____ in my life.”

The problem most LO’s have is they only equate success to what their paycheck said, or where they finished in comparison to other people in their company. Don’t get me wrong, the paycheck matters and production is a form of success. But if that’s all you have you’re running a race that has no end. You’ll burn out, you won’t be happy and that’s not a career.

Professional Goals:  (Establish 3)

You need to establish 3 professional goals, things that you want to accomplish that will further your career and make you happier with your job. This is something you have to look in the mirror on but it should start out with “I want to _____ because it will _____.”

I can’t tell you what they are but here are some examples of professional goals that I’ve help originators achieve.

• I want to add 15 new referral partners so I don’t feel like I’m always chasing the next deal and I can have the peace of mind that I’ll always have a paycheck coming in.
• I want to work exactly 40 hours per week without a reduction in my production because it will allow me to spend the time I need to with my family.
• I want to refine my application to in contract process so I can be more efficient and accomplish more with each day.
• I want to hire someone on my team to do all of the things I don’t enjoy so I can spend more time on the things I enjoy doing which is a better use of my time.
• I want to even out my production and be more consistent not on a roller coaster so I can sustain my production and not be constantly stressed out.

Personal Goals:  (Establish 3)

Personal goals are just as important in your goal planning as production or professional goals.  In most cases, personal goals actually give you more satisfaction when you achieve them than the other goals.  This is where you decide what you want in your life that you don’t have and it doesn’t need to be related to work. 

The reason this matters is when you are happy as a person and happy with your life you are naturally going to be better at what you do with your job.  When you’re better at your job it’s easier to achieve the work goals you have. Use the same format of “I want to do _____ because it will _____.”

• I want to work out, go to the gym, run, do Pilates 4 days a week so I can feel better every day.
• I want to run a marathon so I can prove to myself that I can do something I didn’t think I could.
• I want to read 1 book a month so it forces me to get my mind off work and allows me to learn and grow as a person.
• I want to learn how to salsa dance and go dancing 1 day a week so I can break up my week and have fun Monday through Friday.
• I want to do something with my kids 2 days a week so I don’t feel like my life is in a rut and it’s groundhog day every week.

When you are able to achieve your personal goals, then your professional goals seem easier and when you focus on your professional goals your production goals have a way of working out.  I’ve never seen someone achieve all of their personal goals and professional goals in a year but not achieve their production goals.