Back in 1992, the San Francisco Giants baseball team was ready to move to Florida. Then Peter Magowan stepped in and spent $100 million on a team that had just finished last in the National League West. To add to the challenge, the Giant's General Manager and Manager both resigned. Was Magowan crazy? Most people thought so.
But Magowan and his friend, the team's new Executive Vice President, had a vision. They sat down and listed ten goals to save the franchise, from recruiting the best players in baseball, to building the best ballpark in the country, to drawing a record number of fans to the games. The team has succeeded in every goal but one... winning the World Series.
In the case of the SF Giants, goals were essential to keep the team from failing, and to prevent Peter Magowan from losing his $100 million. But the Giants didn't settle for "not failing." They wanted to win...big... huge, in fact. They set their sights at the pinnacle of baseball success: The World Series.
What are the goals you and your restaurant are striving toward? What vision drives your efforts and influences your actions every day? You should have a working list of several long- and short-term goals for your business. They should be goals of excellence. As Robert F. Kennedy once said,
"Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly."
Which of your dreams do you believe can come true? No matter how lofty or lowly you think your goals are, they're nothing more than dreams until you write them down. There's something about putting pen to paper (or even cocktail napkin) that turns a dream into a reality. Take this first step, which in this case is the easiest: write down your goals. To make it easier, we've created a special goals form to write them on.
Share your goals with your spouse, business partners or key employees. Then take the next step: start working on your goals. It may take a week, or ten years to get there, but if you take these first steps, you'll be closer tomorrow than you are today.
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