Happy New Year …. if happy is the appropriate word …. should it be Determined New Year?
Well here we are with a new year ahead of us but what on earth do we have in store for us?
That is the problem – We have to hope that 2009 will not be as bad as everyone is predicting, or can we do better than that?
In my experience, most people , including businessmen, do not set written goals each year even though they know they ought to plan with that level of detail
Why? Because it appears that most feel that goal setting is a waste of time.
These business people feel guilty if they are not busy “doing” instead of thinking and planning – but planning is exactly what they need to be doing
We are almost certainly faced with much much worse trading conditions than we have ever experienced before, and that means we need to be ready to react differently to the way we have ever reacted before to previous challenges, as we reduce costs, improve efficiency and increase sales income.
We cannot do that without thinking and planning …………. and setting and recording clear specific goals and milestones. If we are determined enough , we will be able to think of appropriate ways to achieve our goals.
We must be prepared to set aside time to decide WHAT we have to achieve, and then justify these whats by asking WHY, and only then work out HOW. In my experience, most business owners and managers prefer to get stuck into their HOWs before they have even clarified their WHATs let alone asked WHY
In my businesses, my co-director and I are always looking out for and planning new sources of income wherever we can – we just do not feel we can assume that past income streams will be repeated and we feel an obligation to do everything in our power to keep our team in jobs. We do accept we are creating pressure on ourselves, and it certainly forces us to think creatively.
What amazes us is how many of our clients are not prepared to change their approach, soldiering on and hoping everything will come out right in the end. All I can say is that I prefer to have a plan, rather than to rely on luck – everyone to their own – Happy Determined New Year to you.