As we approach the end of the year, I hope you’ll spend lots of quality time with your friends, family and your faith. I also hope you’ll take a good look at what kind of year you’ve had—in and out of your office. I encourage you to celebrate the successes you’ve achieved, and consider those goals that might have remained out of reach.
Using a football analogy, some of you had a 9 – 1 season (year). Others might have ended with a 1 – 9 record. Most people finish somewhere in the middle.
For those of you who had a winning year: Congratulations! Enjoy your victories, and take time to really understand how you got there. If you didn’t have the season you were hoping for, go ahead and lick your wounds … and then take time to really understand how you got there.
The important thing is not to focus too much on your good or bad record (after all, that’s soon to be in the past, and a new season is about to begin). The key is to figure out why you overachieved or underachieved in a certain area.
What caused you to be where you are at the end of this year? Did you do the things it took to be successful? Did you evaluate your progress and make necessary adjustments to your plan? Did you have the daily habits and routines in place to reach your goals? (It’s like staying in shape—you don’t achieve results unless you work at it regularly and purposefully.)
If you are in sales, did you focus on real moneymaking activities, or did the daily minutiae of “the swarm” consume your days? Did you work on building new relationships and strengthening existing ones? Did you focus on differentiating yourself from your competition?
If you are an executive, did you spend time regularly working your business plan, or did running the business run you? Did you hold others accountable? Did you discuss company culture daily and regularly reiterate your vision? (Some say being an executive is like being a parent of young children: You set a few good rules and you repeat yourself over and over again.)
Ask yourself these three critical questions as you reflect on this year and think about what you want to accomplish next year:
- What do I want to do more of?
- What do I want to do less of?
- What should I stop doing altogether?
These three questions—when answered honestly and thoughtfully—provide so much insight and guidance as you prepare to move forward.
Remember, the new year is the closest thing you get to a “do-over” in life. Go ahead and relax over the holidays; focus on the people and things that matter most to you. But take time, also, to reflect on the past year and to carefully plan for the new one.
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