Goals

A Stated Metric

In 2018, the New York University School of Medicine announced free tuition for enrolling students. A stated metric was the growth in attracting more diverse candidates and greater placement of primary care physicians in underserved areas. MarketPlace aired an update on the program’s progress. A quick glance at the stated metric suggests this effort has not yielded the anticipated results.

The hypothesis was that tuition was a significant barrier to entry, and due to the likelihood of student loan debt, medical students would select specialties that paid the highest salaries over primary care or other lower-compensation medical fields. ‘Free’ is complex and has not vacated all the anticipated barriers. The growth of diverse and challenged socio-economic students has not been as expected.

Leading with a metric can mask the more significant investment we seek to actualize. NYU’s School of Medicine has additional levers and strategies to launch to address the national shortage of medical professionals. The metric might get the headline, but the work that matters may be buried in the heart of the story.

I Know

“I know what I’m gonna do tomorrow, and the next day, and next year, and the year after that.” George Bailey

What will you do tomorrow, the next day, and the next year? How certain are you of these commitments? What if circumstances change?

Are we committed to the journey or the destination? Prioritizing the behaviors and processes that launch us in our expected direction might strengthen the results of our planning; otherwise, we might find ourselves close to our goal but unable to grasp our transformation.

Celebrating Halfway

How does it resonate if I celebrate running a marathon at the half-marathon mark? A half-marathon is an accomplishment, and on its own, the result would be worthy of sharing. However, in the context of a marathon, it is simply fifty percent of the work, and some suggest less than 50% of the mental and physical exertion. If we state the big goal, our progress bar is correlated to the total distance. Is it necessary to reach the finish line to celebrate the journey?

How might we understand the implications of announcing an ambitious goal? Is there significance in the effort if we do not reach the destination? Is exponential value delivered to those who complete the course versus those who commit to an effort and cease before crossing the line?

Ascending (the Wrong Peak)

What mountain have you identified to summit? What if you find out you are climbing a different peak than selected? Do you stop your ascent and downclimb? Do you continue upwards, using this climb to enhance your performance for the next expedition? Do you abandon the entire project?

If our passion is climbing, we will likely continue, despite being on a different route than intended. If our goal is a specific summit, we will likely reroute to the planned ascent. If our hope was to curate an amazing narrative, we might use this detour to enhance our story. Being specific when we identify our intentions makes decision-making easier when we reach an inflection point.

Direction vs Destination

What destination have you selected? What direction are you currently headed? Sometimes, we must head opposite our destination, but we are still on course. During the New Year’s resolution phase of the calendar, it can feel that we have planned poorly; however, do not confuse destination and direction. If the journey is a priority, we deploy our wayfinding skills to keep moving, even when the best route suggests we revisit paths already traveled.

It is 2024! What Have You Accomplished?

Somebody already accomplished their 2024 goal! Somebody already failed to achieve their 2024 goal.

If we take an infinite mindset, still being in the game is the goal. We may have the most, least, or occupy the busy middle, but we are still playing the game, and that is the work that matters.

Tension

When we highlight an opportunity that contains tension, we are captivated by the narrative that follow. A single blade of grass is less remarkable when found on a lawn. Place the grass pushing through a broken section of asphalt and the struggle creates tension. We are uncertain of the outcome and more likely to be captivated by the journey.

We might incorporate the same mindset in our planning. The outcome of a shopping run to the grocery store is low risk. A strategic plan that considers an initiative that might transform a community increases the tension. Our fans are engaged when we share goals that are resonate but not common and repetitive. We are working on addressing problems that are challenging to solve. What is our role in the solution?

Wayfinding

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If the goal is clear, the route remains flexible.  The goal, gain 1,000 meters of elevation.  The first day it took 50 kilometers of cross-country skate skiing.  The next morning the milestone arrived in 4 kilometers using backcountry skis to ascend to the top of a ski resort.  If we see one option to achieve our goals, then we miss the adventure.  Wayfinding is how we solve big questions and reach big goals.

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