Business growth goals are a funny thing.
We know we should set goals for our law firm or legal practice. And you’ve probably heard about the studies that show that if we set a specific goal and write it down, we’re much more likely to achieve it (e.g. Harvard Business Review).
But then the nagging thoughts creep in…
“What if I set a specific goal and don’t achieve it?” (cue self-imposed pressure, stress, and worry about not achieving it)
“It’s all very well setting a specific goal but will I actually achieve it?” (more pressure and stress I could do without)
“Isn’t it better just to try to generally ‘get more clients’ or ‘increase profits’ and see what happens?” (ah, now I feel like I’m off the hook a bit…)
This is where the ‘F’ word I’m talking about comes in.
Fear.
Fear of failing (by not achieving the goal we set), is a major reason many of us don’t set a goal in the first place.
At the end of my recent ‘Profitable Practice Secrets’ workshop, one of the attendees told me how much they’d appreciated a video I shared about why we should embrace failure, not fear it.
The video was about Michael Jordan (one of the greatest basketball players) and how his many, many ‘failures’ enabled him to succeed. (There’s a link to the video at the end of this page if you want to watch it.)
Take action
Let go of your fear of failure and aim high. Set yourself the goal you’d really love to achieve in the next 12 months, rather than the goal you think you can easily achieve.
Remember, if you aim for the stars, you might just hit the moon (not such a failure in my book).
Whereas if you only aim for the moon, you might never get off the ground…
With this in mind, grab a pen and paper now and write down your specific growth goal for the next 12 months.
Now cross it out and write down what that goal would be if you truly embraced the idea of failure rather than fearing it.
Done it? Give yourself a pat on the back – by writing down your real goal, you’ve just taken the first step towards achieving it.
The next step is to create a specific action plan to make sure your goal becomes a reality.
If you want to discover the true growth potential of your firm (so you can set realistic yet achievable goals) then here are 2 ways I can help you in the next month:
Come to my FREE online planning session for lawyers: ‘3 Step Accelerator Plan for Small Law Firms’ to find out how you can use the Profitable Practice Accelerator method to double your fee income and profits, without working more hours and without needing a big marketing budget.
Come to my next online workshop ‘Profitable Practice Growth Secrets For Small Law Firms’. You’ll analyse the true growth potential for your firm or practice, set your goals for growth in the next 12 months, and create a specific plan to get you there. Plus you’ll develop skills and strategies to attract and convert your ideal clients, and to maximise the profitability of the clients you already have, without working more hours. See the full agenda for the workshop, read testimonials about real results other lawyers have had, and check ticket availability HERE.
You can find the Michael Jordan video on YouTube HERE.