By JAMIE COTTER
Spencer Fane LLP
Has anyone ever heard the saying “A goal without a plan is just a wish?” Well, this can be unfortunately true, especially for lawyers tasked with accomplishing clients’ goals who lose sight of setting and planning their own professional goals.
That oversight can be corrected through a yearly plan.
The last week of every December when email traffic generally slows often allows for time to set the next year’s goals along with a mapped-out plan to achieve them. If that time passed by already, carving out some time now can help salvage the 2024 process.
Consider breaking goals into categories that can include:
- Business Development
- Professional Advancement
- Personal Growth
- Family Investment
While a busy lawyer with an active practice can easily get sucked into the daily grind of work, personal and family goals must not be sacrificed. From there, the correct work-life balance must be considered. Some years professional goals may be more ambitious and personal aspirations more achievable and vice versa.
After setting categories, the SMART goal model (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) can be a valuable tool in determining how to approach ideas around revenue generation, number of clients served, number of new contacts made, commitments to speak or write at certain intervals, hours spent mentoring, family trips planned and self-care intentions. For each goal, consider how to measure achievement. Plans to, “meditate more” or “use LinkedIn regularly” don’t often result in accountability. Instead, “meditate five days a week” or “post 12 times a month LinkedIn” yield specific metrics when reviewing progress and success.
Last but not least, truly map out the plan — either by day, week, month or quarter. Make intervallic commitments that support reaching the overall goal. That can mean building a spreadsheet or handwritten document where boxes are literally checked digitally or manually. Breaking goals down into easily achievable steps and planning them a year out — and keeping the materials readily visible — can help create an obligation to stick with the resolutions made.
Goal setting and creating thoughtful plans can change dreams of personal and professional development into a reality. Wishing is great, but achieving ends up so much better.
– Jamie Cotter is a partner at Spencer Fane. She focuses her practice on litigation and dispute resolution. She can be contacted at [email protected].