Throughout history great thinkers and average folk have asked two questions central to our successful existence: “Who am I?” and “What do I want?” Together, they pose a tricky riddle and many of us will likely live our entire lives without ever answering either one! But most of us would agree that one path toward solving the puzzle is to think about, articulate and set goals for our lives.
At a recent LYCS event, Wesley Millican, CEO and Physician Talent Officer of CareerPhysician, spoke to a group of trainees about goals.
“A goal is an end toward which you direct a specific effort,” Millican said. He described a goal as consisting of three separate elements:
- an accomplishment to be achieved
- a measurable outcome
- a specific date and time to accomplish or complete the goal.
Good Goals
But what makes a “good goal?” According to Millican, you first need to do a little soul searching. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What kind of pediatrician am I currently?
- What kind of pediatrician do I want to become?
- What values are important to me?
- What key things do I want to accomplish in my pediatric career?
- Why do so many of us avoid setting goals?
“Well, because it’s hard work,” says Millican. “Goals force you to think about the road ahead and make some plans. It can also be discouraging at first, because success is not always immediate or initially recognizable,” he added.
“Setting and reaching your goals takes practice, lots of it,” says Millican. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. With practice, defining and reaching your goals can become almost second nature. And once you get in the habit, it will serve as a positive, sustaining force in your life, on your path towards success.”
Bring Clarity to your Goals
The biggest obstacle to setting goals is lack of focus and clarity. It’s not enough to merely suggest having a successful career. You need to be specific. Set goals that can be documented, measured, quantified.
As an example, we all know that mentorship begats personal wellness and leads to greater success and accomplishment, set a goal of securing two mentors that doing today what you wish to do in the future, set specific deadline for securing your mentors and measurable outcomes for experience.
Defining Goals
Here are some guidelines to help you define specific goals:
- What? Put the goal in writing. Just this simple act forces you to think and be specific about what you want to accomplish.
- How? Develop a written strategy for reaching the goal. Describe exactly how you will go about making it happen.
- Why? Describe the benefits of achieving this goal to yourself.
- Who? Define who will be involved in making this goal a reality.
- When? Set a timeline and commit to it.
While securing mentors can be a goal, mentors, family and colleagues can also be a real asset in goal setting. They know you and are more likely to keep you self-aware in the process. Soliciting input from all the stakeholders in your life can add real value in the process and lead to more realist goals.
Success at Goal Setting
Meeting your goals requires commitment, perseverance and, most of all, practice. Don’t expect to get it all right the first time and don’t expect instant results.
Keep in mind these tips and you will be successful in identifying, articulating, measuring and meeting your goals:
- be proactive and positive
- be flexible and adaptive: change will happen eventually
- be pragmatic: never stop chipping away at achieving your goals. Retool and modify as needed.
- write your goals down and re-visit them often
- create a simple and accurate way to measure your progress toward meeting each specific goal
- share your goals with your mentor, your colleagues, your family? They will hold you accountable
- implement NOW; perfect later
- don’t procrastinate
Why is it important to set goals?
Achievement and accomplishments do not happen accidentally, says Millican. Success, achievement and the satisfaction of making a difference and doing it right are very good feelings. But it is very difficult to get there without defining, setting, and acting upon your goals until they are reached. Simply put, “good goals” will determine what you will or will not become or accomplish in your personal, professional and economic aspirations in life. Get started today!
About the Author:
Wesley D. Millican, MBA, is CEO and Physician Talent Officer of CareerPhysician, LLC, the national leader in child health faculty and executive search and leadership development. In partnership with the Child Health Advisory Council, a diverse group of emeritus and current national thought leaders in academic pediatrics, Mr. Millican provides critical career and professional development content to residents and fellows to help foster their effective transitions from training into academic and/or private practice roles. For more than 20 years, Mr. Millican and CareerPhysician’s Launch Your Career® Series has served as the trusted go to career training and ACGME Competency resource for U.S. residency and fellowship program directors, and most importantly for residents and fellows seeking to maximize their return on the personal, professional and economic investments and sacrifices made during training. Through Launch Your Career® Series onsite and visual programs and associated web-based content, Mr. Millican believes that residents and fellows are the future of academic pediatrics and that meaningful early investments in their career journey will have a monumental positive impact on their long-term professional satisfaction and their service to children.
For more information about the Launch Your Career® Series and/or to schedule a program for your residency or fellowship program, contact us.
Updated 4-24-24