We are at the halfway point of 2019 which is a perfect time to reflect. Did you write down your goals? Did you share them? What worked for you? What didn't? If you have set goals for this year I commend you. If you haven't what is stopping you? I thought I would use this time together to share a goal setting framework that I use. Last year I joined an organization that challenged me to unlock my potential. This goal setting process came from the time I have spent with the amazing people at Junto which I feel will benefit anyone who can put this discipline into practice. I personally learn by doing, so I will share with you how I approached this.
Start with your definite major purpose. What is your mission? Why do you do what you do? For me it is " To help the insurance industry become more efficient. We will achieve this by educating the marketplace of advances in technology as well as improved Best business practices. It is also our vision to connect industry leaders and professionals which will ultimately improve the insurance distribution chain. Our experience in sales, marketing and business development covers the entire spectrum of insurance distribution and we are committed to developing long-term, mutually beneficial business relationships."
State your values. Your personal values are important when setting goals. Everything you intend on accomplishing with your goals should align with your core values. Community, Creativity, Encouragement, Innovation, and Learning are fundamental to every goal I set. If I set a goal that does not support one of these values then I am not committed or passionate about completing it.
Define your vision. Napoleon Hill puts it this way "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve." There are several resources out there to help you define your vision. Cameron Herold provides an excellent method as does Gino Wickman with his Entrepreneurial Operating System. The idea is to have a clear and simple vision so you can set proper goals to achieve it. For me I have a 10 year target to get to 100 Million annual written premium within our organization. My 3 year picture consists of one million in profit measured by the number of active agents and policies on our platform. This is visible by happy employees and raving customers among other things. My 1 year plan has me incrementally achieving the three year picture and 10 year target.
Set your goals. Start with an annual goal. For me it is to get 10,000 agents using the raterSpot platform. Then I broke that goal into quarterly goals. Since we are starting the 3rd quarter I can share that I was mostly on track for my first two quarters, unfortunately the insurance industry doesn't move as fast as I would like! For the next three months I am looking to accomplish the following:
1. Get 3 new insurance companies and products accessible to our producers
2. Launch a transportation insurance division for BindDesk
3. Finish the Non-Profit donor and volunteer plan for Care House
4. Recommit to Health and Exercise
5. Attend and participate in a trade show for ThePolicySpot
These quarterly goals are broken down into smaller monthly goals which get marked off as completed with the outcomes. At the end of every month I can reassess the goals based on real life but I try to stay focused on these goals I begin each week.
Ideally you are going to come up with a goal setting strategy if you don't already have one that stays true to your major purpose and mission. This "why you do what you do" is fundamental to staying true to your core values which will ultimately help you achieve your goal. Start with a 10 year plan which is followed by a 3 year picture of what that looks like. Then you can work on annual goals that are broken down by quarter, month and week.
Let me know what your goals are and how I can help you accomplish them! If you have some ideas or resources to share on goal setting please send me an email.
