We have all seen “A Christmas Carol.” And if you have not, I strongly recommend watching it; but this time, view it as the lead driver for your business future success rather than the feel-good Christmas movie. Often in business, we can get caught up in just one phase — the past, the present or the future — where we get blindsided with everything in between. As owners of growing businesses, we need to apply all three; and as we approach 1 July, this becomes more prevalent than ever. If we are to have any chance of making 2015-2016 our best year yet, we need to:
1. REFLECT
We need to step back and review the past 12 months. What were our failures and what were our successes? Most importantly, we need to pay extra attention to our failures without allowing self-dwelling/doubts run us. Instead, review why they were failures and make sure we do not make the same mistakes again. Remember, failures make us stronger; and the fact that you are reading this means you have survived the failures and are pushing through.
2. ASSESS
Where is our business right now? This is the time to review all the sections that make up our business and not only the sections we like. It is time to get that piece of paper and start to map out your current position. Each business will have its own sections, but I recommend keeping it to only six for these assessments. A sample is below. (Again, keep it simple. It is not the Mona Lisa.)
As a first step, map out your six sections then go back and check the ones you feel are in great state. The happier you are with the section, check it more. If you are not happy with your current position, put a cross. More crosses mean you are not in a happy state. Now, go back and make notes on what is great and not so great in each section. Again, keep it simple – don’t allow it to become a rant.
3. CHANGE
Now, you have armed yourself with the knowledge of the current state of your business by reflecting on the past 12 months. And having assessed where your business is right now, it is time to address the changes that need to take place in the coming months to get you to where you want to be. Everyone’s “TO BE” will, again, be different — some may want more quality clients/customers and others may want more time out from the business. At this point, you need to make sure you know your “TO BE.”
The key here is to take action. Passion is great; but without execution, passion is irrelevant. Make sure to keep referring back to the sheet you have prepared in point 2 above and don’t forget to measure the success of the actions that you take. All the best for 2015-2016 financial year.
