Kicking Off Your Year
By Gail Doby, ASID
CVO and Co-Founder of Gail Doby Coaching & Consulting
Here we are, kicking off a new year and a new decade. We can’t help but wonder what they might have in store for us. One thing is for sure. It’s up to us to make the most of whatever it is.
Just because you’ve taken down the old calendar and hung up the new doesn’t mean you’re starting with a clean slate. As you pause to take stock, the year ahead may seem like a fresh blanket of snow, but there are tracks leading up to the edge—your tracks. Before you take the next step, look back to how you got to where you are.
The best way to get oriented is to recap the year that just was with your team. Set aside uninterrupted time to get together and go over plans, projects, procedures, and financials. What worked well? What didn’t work so well? If you had it to do over again, what would you have done differently? What changes or additional resources do you need to improve your performance in the coming year? What you should stop doing that is not working or not producing a sufficient return for the effort or time expended?
Now turn your attention to this year. What do you want to achieve during the next twelve months? How will this year be different from the last? How will you measure or determine if you were successful when you look back a year from now?
You now have two sets of intentions to address:
- The things you want to change, improve, enhance or stop doing, and;
- The things you want to achieve.
Working with those two sets, set goals for each individual member of the team and for the company. Make the goals specific and attainable. Assign timelines, milestones, and outcome measures to each goal. Set up a schedule for how often goal progress will be reported and reviewed—that may vary by the nature of each goal.
If you have not already done so already, set up time to meet individually with each member of your team and discuss their prior year’s performance. Identify challenges they may be having and what can be done to address them. Jointly create a development plan, focusing on strengths and opportunities rather than deficiencies or faults. Incorporate the plan into each team member’s goals and objectives for the year.
Now that you have selected a direction and set a course, you will have greater control over your own success in the year ahead. Be diligent and disciplined. Monitor your plan throughout the year and make adjustments as needed. Design the future you want to have.
Warmest wishes for a prosperous and fulfilling New Year!
Not sure how to move forward? Do your plans for 2020 include growing your client base, increasing your revenues and/or earning higher profits? Let me show you how you can transform your business with my exclusive, one-on-one, customized VIP Experience.
Another article that will give you some suggestions for the New Year is Starting The Year Off Right.
