New Year / New Business / New You!

Learn something new

Does anyone have the time for this? The answer is yes. I’ll bet that you received some new gadget for Christmas. Something like a new HDTV, iPhone or laptop computer. I’ll also bet that you made the time to sit down and learn all the features of that gadget. (Maybe even looked at the instruction manual – hah.) The point is that you were interested in the gadget and made the time. You can also make time to volunteer in your community, visit a local museum or take a class at a local school or on-line. Perhaps a course on automotive marketing, customer service or business accounting?


Delegate

Wouldn’t this be nice? Doing things yourself because “you want them done right” is a supreme time-waster. Take that next step and hand that project off to another person on your staff. (Unless due to layoffs, you are the only person on that staff.) Another person’s point-of-view might be just what that stalled project needs to be successful. It could turn into a win-win-win for you, the other person and your company. Delegation also builds staff confidence.


Rethink your schedule

Just how crazy is your schedule these days? Utilize a simple to-do list with estimated time for tasks. Be realistic about how long something will take to accomplish. Don’t do the easy stuff first, this is a form of procrastination. The easy stuff will be your reward for finishing the hard tasks. You may have to allot time with no interuptions. No phone, no e-mail, no meetings. Remember to focus on results versus number of accomplished tasks. Yes, I know, we have PDAs, computers and other tools to create schedules and to-do lists, but reliance on automatic devices can cause more stress in the end.


Take a fresh look at your projects

You probably have a regular reoccurance of projects – daily, weekly, monthly. Reports, estimates, payments, collections, trade shows, etc. you probably cannot change the format or timing of some of these, but you can think of new ways to make them more exciting. Move staff meetings off-site – even if it is just to a park across the street. Add customer interviews to your company newsletter. Have the local ice cream truck make a special stop at your place of business on alternating Fridays to stimulate creativity. The point here is to alter your routine. It’s the small things that may surprise you.


Set goals

Are there goals attached to your New Year’s resolutions? What is the point of your resolutions? Experts say that the chances of following through on resolutions are greater when you attach goals to them. If you’ve chosen to lose weight, is it because your pants don’t fit or because you want to be healthier? What do you really want? Perhaps you are looking for more stimulation from your work or would like a promotion. Maybe you want to organize your day better so that you can attend your child’s baseball or hockey game, instead of the last couple of minutes – or not at all. Give some serious thought on how to make your goals happen.


Reward yourself

It’s OK to reward yourself. The days of the Puritans running things are over. After you finish that month-long project (on time) reward yourself by having a nice lunch out. Don’t forget to reward your team also. Hand out gift certificates for local restaurants or coffee shops. Again, the little stuff might surprise you. Don’t go overboard however. New golf clubs might be too much of a reward to justify as are new Porsches. It bears repeating . . . it’s OK to reward yourself.


Push your limits

Every self-help guru has this one in their back pocket. But it is so obvious that it cannot be ignored! How will you grow as a person, spouse, parent, employee, employer if you don’t push yourself to new greatness? Go rock climbing – not likely. But take a twenty minute walk five days a week? Sure. Cold-call and secure ten new customers this week – not likely. Call ten existing customers and thank them for their business last year? Bingo. Studies have shown that you can achieve more sales through existing customers than you can through cold calling for new business. And that is hardly what I would call pushing your limit. So go ahead, call those ten customers, feel good about yourself, reward yourself – then go rock climbing.