ASK THE EXPERT
TANYA CHERNOVA
TANYA CHERNOVA returned at this year’s ISPA
Conference & Expo as a Professional Development Session
(PDS) speaker to tackle the importance of goal-setting and
its role in achieving success. “Each business begins with a
vision for success. Goals help us chart our course toward
the fulfillment of this dream in small, manageable and
measurable steps,” Chernova says.
Here, she dives deeper to share practical tips on how to
set goals, track milestones and measure success.
PULSE: Why is goal-setting important in any business?
Tanya Chernova: Goals are essential to propel ourselves
through life and carve out certainty from the unknown. They
serve as motivations to keep on working, learning, giving and
creating. They serve as landmarks on how far we have come, how
much we have grown and how much we have achieved.
Studies have proven over and again that people and
businesses with clear goals achieve more over their lifetime and
have a higher rate of happiness and fulfillment. As humans, the
feeling of success propels us forward. Setting and achieving
short-term goals energize us as individuals and as a team. It
reassures us, that despite the unknowns, what we are doing is
working. This gives us the courage to keep risking and growing.
P: Can you share at least three of the most essential things
to keep in mind when setting goals?
C: First, set purpose-driven goals that reflect the mission of your
spa. A task-driven goal such as “smile at every guest” makes
them feel robotic and doesn’t create an authentic connection to
the “why.” A purpose-driven goal to achieve the same outcome
is to say: “It’s our goal to make every guest feel welcome, safe and
relaxed; that’s why we begin every visit with a loving and genuine
smile.” Task-driven goals can feel like a burden. Purpose-driven
goals feel inspiring and encourage us to grow.
Second, set clear expectations and provide an example so the
team can visually connect to what the outcome looks like. In
other words, role play the scenario you wish to see in your spa so
everyone has a common vision of what you are looking for.
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Finally, find a fun or creative way to follow up or check in on
a daily basis (or help them self-evaluate their performance). Any
new habit requires reinforcement from the beginning until it
becomes a neuronal pattern in the subconscious mind.
P: How can managers ensure that employee goals are
aligned with the company’s overall strategy and mission?
C: Set goals that feel inspiring when others hear them. Begin your
sentence with “At ______ spa, our mission is to…. Therefore, our
goal is to….”
P: Can you share some tips on how to regularly track goals?
C: Goals are set in the conscious mind, which is engaged in only
one to five percent of our day. Ninety-five to 99 percent of the
time we are in the default, automatic subconscious mind. We
simply forget the new thing that’s required of us if it isn’t top of
mind.
Find an easy way for team members to review their goals at
least once a day. If you can, make it a mantra, a song or a rhyme
so it’s easier for team members to make a connection.
Make the time to meet one-on-one at least once a month and
to have daily team huddles that last no longer than three minutes
to remind teams to focus on the spa mission and how achieving
their goals make a difference.
MISSED CHERNOVA at this year’s ISPA Conference & Expo?
Purchase the PDS Audio Recordings to hear all of the educational sessions, including Chernova’s talk on goal-setting.