Month: July 2017

astronaut on moon graphic from stamp & chase

Why B.H.A.G.s without B.H.A.R.s are Pipe Dreams

Part 5 in our Series: A Smarter Approach to S.M.A.R.T. Goals “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” That quote from President John F. Kennedy’s speech to a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961, is perhaps the most often cited example of the philosophy that when you set big goals, amazing things can happen. And who doesn’t want to accomplish amazing things.So the fact that the “R” in our smarter S.M.A.R.T. goals model stands for “realistic” may be surprising. Realistic sounds so safe … hum-drum … even boring. Don’t we want bigger, transformative, inspiring goals? Maybe even “B.H.A.G.s”?Even if

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Hospital Leadership Training Programs

Yours, Mine or Ours — Whose Goal is it Anyway?

Part 4 in Our Series: A Smarter Approach to S.M.A.R.T. Goals Even the best crafted, precisely-targeted organizational goals are ineffective unless they are embraced by the team responsible for implementing the tactics to achieve them. That’s why the “A” in our smarter S.M.A.R.T. goals model represents “agreed-upon.”The first, most important step in setting goals that are enthusiastically adopted by individuals and teams is to pay attention to two of the other components in our S.M.A.R.T. goals model: making goals meaningful and realistic. Tying a goal to the core purpose of the organization’s work – in health care, how it impacts patients’ care – helps make its achievement more meaningful. Even financial goals can be linked to the short- and long-term fiscal health of the organizations

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Healthcare Employee Burnout

Why should I care?

Part 3 in Our Series: A Smarter Approach to S.M.A.R.T. Goals “Please help me connect the dots”In our work with frontline health care staff, this plea is one of the most common ones we hear. With new protocols, payer requirements and regulations shifting constantly, staff understandably struggle to make sense of all of these changes. To President Trump’s comment that “Nobody knew health care could be so complicated,” most frontline caregivers would tell you that they know providing care is more challenging and complex every day. That’s why setting and explaining goals that are meaningful is so important. Chasing the numbers can become all-consuming In today’s metrics-driven world, it is easy for even the most compassionate caregiver to quickly become obsessed with the numbers. Thirty-day

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stamp & chase my team app on iphone

Are your goals specific enough to change behavior?

Part 2 in Our Series: A Smarter Approach to S.M.A.R.T. Goals In last week’s blog, I outlined a smarter way for managers to approach S.M.A.R.T. goals. Designed to boost results rather than just improve goal-writing, our model emphasizes how leaders can better use goals to focus their team’s efforts and deliver superior outcomes:While there are many variations on the original S.M.A.R.T. goals model, the “S” almost always stands for “specific.” Writing a SMART goal that is specific means that all aspects of the goal are clearly defined and that it answers the standard 5 W’s (who, what, when, where and why). But even when a well-written goal is specific, it still usually focuses on what you want the end result to be, not on how

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