One day in 1970 while visiting our store in OklahomaCity’s Crossroads Mall, Jim Fisher, the store officer,
asked me to step superficial with him. When we were
alone, he asked me not to mention to his staff that
we had set a monthly sales goal of $20,000 for his
store. At first I was quizzical. Jim was one of our best
officers. Surely, a $20,000 monthly goal was within
his capabilities.Jim must have sensed my surprise, for he broke intoa smile. Then he explained, to my enrapture, that not onlywas $20,000 not a problem, but he and his Oklahoma
City associates had set their own monthly sales goal
at $40,000, twice the company’s goal. His team hit
$38,000 in sales, 90 percent above anything the general
office had expected of Jim and his passionate sales staff.
Talk about setting high expectations for yourself and
your associates.Jim’s occurrence underscored for me the power of setting high
but feasible goals. If you set your expectations high sufficient,you are reaching for the stars. You may just hit the moon!Goals allow you to budget your time, set deadlines, specify
priorities, and dedicate responsibilities. ostensive goals also give
you the ability to pattern your performance. For instance,
members of Jim’s sales team knew exactly what was expected,
right down to dollars of sales needed per hour by each individ-
ual. The expectations were clear, attainable, and measurable.
