It’s just 80 days away, and I’m wondering when you will have the talk?
When will you talk with your customers, prospects, vendors and staff about 2016? When will you have a talk with yourself about the coming year?
Some people already have budgets to submit. They need to have to have proposals and objectives submitted to be reviewed and approved. Others won’t think even about 2016 until January 4th, the first business day of the new year.
Which business model do you work from? Which do you want to work from?
Long vs. Short Run Planning
Do you feel comfortable with long range planning or do you prefer to be Red Adair. Paul ‘Red’ Adair was best known in the 1960’s and 70’s for putting out the huge, dangerous and exciting fires which occurred when an oil well erupted. If you think your job is tough, imagine what you would have to do to put out a fire on an exploding oil rig. Yet, many business owners and managers can act just like Ol' Red. They wait until something explodes, and only then will they do something about it.
That’s why we’re having this talk right now. Your future is NOW!
In 2016, I want you to resolve to stop going from crisis to crisis. Leave the flame retardant suit back in the hall closet. Don’t just set goals, but put in place systems to handle those goals. Here’s the difference. A goal is a state or place at which you want to arrive. A system is a conscious process to achieve a goal or several goals multiple times.
If your goal was to lose 15 pounds, once you’ve lost it … you’re done. If your goal is to maintain a certain weight, you have a bigger picture. You have to adopt a system that when you stray at the buffet, puts you back into the process of maintaining that goal.
The same is true with your operations. If you want to do something once, it’s a goal. If you want to do it a repeated number of times, it is a system. Marketing and sales need to have systems to ensure twelve good months of prospects, opportunities, and cash flow.
Incidents will occur. You may even have a genuine explosion or two with which you have to deal. But, your vendors, talent, clients and customers would appreciate not having an on-going case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to deal with.
Action Steps
Here’s what I want to encourage you to do:
When will you talk with your customers, prospects, vendors and staff about 2016? When will you have a talk with yourself about the coming year?
Some people already have budgets to submit. They need to have to have proposals and objectives submitted to be reviewed and approved. Others won’t think even about 2016 until January 4th, the first business day of the new year.
Which business model do you work from? Which do you want to work from?
Long vs. Short Run Planning
Do you feel comfortable with long range planning or do you prefer to be Red Adair. Paul ‘Red’ Adair was best known in the 1960’s and 70’s for putting out the huge, dangerous and exciting fires which occurred when an oil well erupted. If you think your job is tough, imagine what you would have to do to put out a fire on an exploding oil rig. Yet, many business owners and managers can act just like Ol' Red. They wait until something explodes, and only then will they do something about it.
That’s why we’re having this talk right now. Your future is NOW!
In 2016, I want you to resolve to stop going from crisis to crisis. Leave the flame retardant suit back in the hall closet. Don’t just set goals, but put in place systems to handle those goals. Here’s the difference. A goal is a state or place at which you want to arrive. A system is a conscious process to achieve a goal or several goals multiple times.
If your goal was to lose 15 pounds, once you’ve lost it … you’re done. If your goal is to maintain a certain weight, you have a bigger picture. You have to adopt a system that when you stray at the buffet, puts you back into the process of maintaining that goal.
The same is true with your operations. If you want to do something once, it’s a goal. If you want to do it a repeated number of times, it is a system. Marketing and sales need to have systems to ensure twelve good months of prospects, opportunities, and cash flow.
Incidents will occur. You may even have a genuine explosion or two with which you have to deal. But, your vendors, talent, clients and customers would appreciate not having an on-going case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to deal with.
Action Steps
Here’s what I want to encourage you to do:
- Brainstorm your goals for 2016 out on paper. Don’t be realistic. Write down everything you want to accomplish, do, be, have and become. Start with an initial session and then keep the list handy for additional times when great ideas come to you.
- Look at the list and ask yourself questions about what you’ve listed. HERE’S AN EXAMPLE: If you have travel goals, is it that you want to get to these destinations … or that you’re so fed up with the workload, stress or space you are in … anywhere else seems a whole lot better than the place where you’re at?
- Look at your professional goals and start to make a 2016 Business Plan. Look at your personal goals and make a life plan. Take the time to capture them on paper. If not, you will forget them before you walk across the room.
- Determine each of these which are one-off goals and which will require you to implement systems. Also, give yourself permission to delete things which are mere flights of fancy and don’t lead anywhere significant.
- Give yourself permission to do the things which are uniquely yours to do. Expect that change will require you to be uncomfortable. Seek support, coaching and assistance as necessary. Give up doing it all by yourself in 2016.
- Regularly check to see where you are with your goals and systems. If you haven’t gotten something done which is important, ask yourself what stands in your way. Own the parts of it which are yours. You can’t succeed in cleaning off your desk if you won’t take the papers over to the file cabinet.
Let me know how you are doing, both now, on January 4th and in a couple of months. If you would like some coaching and assistance on this, I’m just an email or phone call away: 248-383-5793 or dladouceur08@gmail.com
