| As the old saying goes, "physician heal thyself". | | | | inconsistency of the goal reward program. Every new |
| Business and life coaching isn't any different. It is | | | | goal needs a new reward. |
| funny that sometimes we forget to look in the | | | | It takes a long time that consistently achieving goals |
| mirror and judge ourselves. While talking with a client | | | | and receiving rewards before the frequency of the |
| today I realized something I have been overlooking in | | | | rewards for the same goal can be reduced. For |
| my own life for some time now. | | | | people, when the frequency of the rewards are |
| I had been confusing goals and rewards. Actually, I | | | | reduced for achieving a particular goal, many times |
| was skipping the goals and listing the rewards. Years | | | | we find it better to set a new higher goal with a |
| ago when I first started creating goal sheets with | | | | new larger reward, thereby eliminating the original |
| my wife, the sheets listed real goals. Recently my | | | | reward. |
| wife and I had a discussion about our goals in the | | | | As owners the same rules of incentives and rewards |
| previous year and for the next year. She had | | | | apply to you. When you set a goal for yourselves |
| accomplished significantly more of her goals than I | | | | you too need a reward. Each time you obtain a goal |
| had. I chalked my lack of accomplishment up to the | | | | you should receive a reward. This is the same |
| fact that I was focused on a different area and | | | | positive reinforcement method that you should be |
| obviously the goals were not as important as I had | | | | using with your employees and your family. The |
| thought a year before when we created the goal | | | | reward is the reason for the work that achieves the |
| sheets. | | | | goal. In your family lives, the knowledge of the |
| After talking with my client today I thought back | | | | reward may result in better support from your |
| over both of our goal sheets and realized the goals I | | | | families as you try to reach your goals. |
| had missed were really rewards. One of the things | | | | After a while, you can become so good at making |
| that I teach business owners is the importance of | | | | your goals and earning the rewards that you start |
| goal sheets. The most important part of a goal sheet | | | | thinking about the rewards first. This is the mistake |
| is the reward, and even what happens after the | | | | that I made. I became so good at the process that I |
| reward. | | | | started to confuse the goals in the rewards. Last |
| Let's say that as a business owner you set a goal for | | | | year I had selected a goal of a Harley-Davidson |
| your team of $100,000 per week in sales. In order to | | | | Softail Custom. After a year I had still not achieved |
| hit this target, there has to be a reward. Otherwise | | | | this goal. This is one of the goals of my wife pointed |
| why would they do it. The reward doesn't have to | | | | out when we had our annual goal setting day. As I |
| be much, but it has to be something tangible. As | | | | said in the beginning I had missed several goals, which |
| Napoleon Bonaparte said "The day my life changed | | | | was something new for me. |
| was the day I figured out a man would die for a blue | | | | Looking closely at the goal of a Harley-Davidson |
| ribbon." Once they have received their reward, that is | | | | Softail Custom, I realized that this was a reward, not |
| when the next step must be planned out. Are you | | | | a goal. There wasn't any work defined in order to |
| going to expect them to reach $100,000 per week, | | | | get to the Harley-Davidson Softail Custom. I had to |
| every week after they've done it once? Are you | | | | do something in order to get there, and I had not |
| going to expect them to go higher each week? In | | | | defined what that "something" was. Even if that |
| either case what is the next reward? | | | | something was as simple as saving $3000 for a down |
| I have seen many businesses lose good people | | | | payment, there had to be something that required |
| because of misguided incentives and reward | | | | work that resulted in my achieving of a goal. Only |
| programs. The owner will set a goal, and offer a | | | | then could I purchase the Harley-Davidson Softail |
| reward. After somebody hit the goal and receives | | | | Custom as my reward. |
| the reward, they are confused about why they are | | | | You should have written down your goal sheets for |
| expected to continue the same level of performance | | | | the next year and started working backwards to |
| with no further reward. The owner on the other | | | | today. By knowing where you want to go it is much |
| hand is confused as to why a person could do so | | | | easier to find the path that leads you there. Just |
| well and then no longer achieve the same targets. | | | | remember that the rewards are not the target or |
| The problem is the owner doesn't take the goal | | | | the goal. You create your goal sheet, which is a set |
| down or doesn't set a new reward. The owners In | | | | of goals that require tangible results from work to |
| the employees both become frustrated by the | | | | achieve. With each of these goals, define a reward. |