Am I the only one who is having a hard time believing it is already June? The year is halfway done and yet it feels like just yesterday we were goal setting for 2022.
The goals from January may be a distant memory with hustle and bustle of operating a law firm if you are not routinely reviewing them. If that’s the case, fear not, you can do a mid-year review. Summer is a perfect time to review your short-term and long-term goals for the year as it provides the time to re-calibrate or come up with creative solutions to get back on track. You may surprise yourself and be ahead of the curve on some projects while behind on others. At the Academy we use the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), so we are checking in on our short-term 90-day goals weekly, while quarterly we’re looking at what goals we need to set to hit our annual, 3-Year, and 10-Year goals. If you’re not familiar with EOS you should read Susan Russel’s blog from last month.
You’ll want to be sure everyone in the meeting has the meeting agenda and a list of the relevant data to prepare in advance to maximize everyone’s time. The worst thing is to sit around a table and feel like you’ve wasted your morning because you didn’t have all the information needed to make the decisions in real-time. Sometimes meetings get a bad rap for being unproductive, and the reality is most of the work needs to be done ahead of time to make it successful. Begin by reviewing past and current metrics as well as preparing solutions prior to attending the meeting. Allowing everyone in the room time to prepare, instead of trying to come up with solutions at the moment, will likely yield more productive and metric-based conversations.
To begin the meeting, you will also want to cover the goals set in January, the status of those goals, creative solutions to accomplish those goals, and lastly, who is the owner of the tasks from the meeting. Having clarity of who is responsible can avoid headaches down the road. I also recommend you set the meeting for first thing in the morning when everyone is fresh and ready to work. Afternoon meetings can have lower energy, especially when it comes to larger decisions. Make the room comfortable by having snacks and beverages available for attendees or send some goodies in advance if you’re meeting on Zoom. That way everyone can focus on the task at hand and not worry about their next meal. If the logistics of the meeting instantly overwhelm you, see if there is someone else on your team that has unique abilities to tackle this and own the project.
Lastly, before you wrap up the meeting, set the date for the next review meeting while everyone is present and has their calendar open. That way you won’t miss the chance to review your goals at the end of the year when there are competing priorities. Good luck and happy goal setting!
Erin Mathew
Director, Projects and Event Planning
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com
- Time for a Mid-Year Check-In? - June 16, 2022
- Conference Attendee 101: How to Maximize Your In-Person Event Experience - April 21, 2022
- See Y’all in Austin! - March 10, 2022
