My Ideal Job: Marketing at Methodist Hospital System

Introduction: Why Methodist Hospital System

There are a number of truly exceptional employers in the United States — companies consistently recognized for their excellent treatment of employees. Fortune Magazine identifies the top 100 companies to work for each year and provides various details about each. The company I would like to work for is the Methodist Hospital System in Houston, Texas. It has consistently been identified as one of the best employers in the country, with a strong reputation for treating its employees fairly and fostering a great workplace atmosphere. Moreover, this career would be in the healthcare industry, which is projected to be a growth area for the foreseeable future, making it an excellent field to pursue.

Job Description: Senior Marketing Specialist

The position I would like to fill is Senior Marketing Specialist. Marketing specialists within the Methodist Hospital System have a unique role because much of their customer base is predetermined — physicians play a large part in hospital selection by choosing where to practice. Therefore, a marketing specialist for the hospital must be aware of all stakeholders and ensure they are receiving a consistent message.

The core responsibilities of this role involve developing and implementing local and national marketing strategies, and evaluating the effectiveness of those strategies. The Senior Marketing Specialist would also manage relationships with various groups of stakeholders, including clients, physicians, community members, and external vendors. More specifically, the job description includes: developing marketing plans for the various Methodist hospitals; working with leadership teams and physicians to support business plan development; establishing marketing priorities; writing, editing, and overseeing the design and production of print media; networking with community leaders; supporting corporate branding efforts; complying with marketing budget requirements; and meeting defined performance objectives.

Using Goal Setting to Motivate Performance

Goal setting can be used to motivate employment performance in a variety of ways. On a broad level, goal setting helps establish a life plan, and in a career context it helps establish a professional roadmap. By knowing what I want to achieve in my career, I can concentrate my energy on how to reach those goals. Goal setting also helps identify the personal strengths and weaknesses that may help or hinder goal achievement. This is why goals should be specifically defined — so that I can focus clearly on what is required to accomplish them.

Many people begin their goal-setting process by examining short-term goals, but I believe that identifying long-term goals is a more appropriate first step. By looking at my long-term goals, I can establish a life plan and determine my long-term personal and professional objectives. Considering personal goals is a critical part of determining career goals, because some careers may be incompatible with certain personal aspirations. Comparing the two side by side helps identify areas where there might be a disconnect. As the saying goes, you can have it all — just not all at the same time — and mapping personal and professional goals together can help clarify where expectations in either area may need to be adjusted.

Once long-term goals are established, I can focus on the short-term goals necessary to reach them. For example, I may need additional education to achieve certain career milestones, and knowing this allows me to take the steps needed to advance academically. I can also pursue other pathways, such as improving my networking skills by becoming involved in the volunteer community to expand my professional connections.

One of the most useful aspects of goal setting is that it allows a person to break larger objectives down into smaller, more manageable goals. This makes it easier to gauge progress and to recognize when one is veering off track. It also creates opportunities to reassess long-term goals — an important part of the process, since personal wants and needs naturally change over time, and goals established earlier in life may need to be revised accordingly.

From a theoretical perspective, goal setting has been correlated with both employee commitment and motivation. Unfortunately, prior researchers have not consistently examined commitment and motivation as a consolidated unit, but have instead treated them as distinct human resource concerns (Meyer et al., 2004). This reflects a significant oversight in the field, however, because the greater an employee's commitment, the more motivated one would expect that employee to be. Goal setting and goal achievement should increase my productivity as an employee, provided I am working in an organization that supports my career ambitions. Conversely, goal setting will also help me more readily identify an unhealthy workplace, so that I can transition to a different environment if necessary.