3 Ways Businesses can Make 2015 their Best Year Yet
Ways your small business can get prepared for 2015
1. Set a clear vision for success
Whether or not you currently have a clearly defined company vision, you will be best prepared for 2015 if you engage in some vision work as you head into the new year.
If you haven't previously articulated the purpose, values and mission of your company, now is the time to do this foundational work. You start with articulating the purpose: the reason your company exists. Questions that help can include:
- What is your company's purpose? In other words, why does the company exist?
- What is the meaning in your business that you and your people get excited about?
- What is the "dent in the universe" your company is making?
The next part of vision is to articulate your values. Purpose is the "why" and values are the "how." These represent core beliefs in the company and are the description of "how we do things around here." One note of caution when working with your team on values: This is an articulation exercise, not an aspirational exercise. You are describing what is, not what you hope to be.
The third component to a good vision is to state your current mission. What is the specific thing you are trying to accomplish by when? The magnitude of your mission should be big enough to elicit excitement and motivation to utilize all of your team's creative energy to pursue it. It should be a big enough mission that people wonder if you can really pull it off.
2. Focus on strategic planning
With a clear vision for the future in place, now the task is to prioritize the work you need to achieve your mission. You'll want to identify the strengths that have served your company well to this point and the ones you know you'll need to develop in order to achieve your mission. Then, you'll decide on three to five annual priorities that need sustained company focus over the course of the year to make necessary progress toward your mission. These are the big rocks that you'll need collective focus and energy to move.
Annual priorities are necessary but not sufficient. You'll also want to prepare for a successful 2015 by selecting your company's priorities for the first quarter. I recommend you pull your key team members together to do the work of aligning 2015 and first-quarter priorities to your company's mission.
3. Take a good look at yourself
This is the perfect time of year to audit everything you do as a person and as a leader. How are you managing your calendar? How do you manage your email or social media? What meetings should you schedule? With all of these questions, ask if what you are doing is working for you, and if not, what adjustments are you going to make for 2015?
Finally, what will you need to do now and throughout the year to ensure you are the business leader your company needs 12 months from now? What conferences, seminars or workshops should you attend? Get them on the calendar. What books do you need to read or listen to? Buy the first two or three and get started. Whatever you need to be sharp and grow with your company, take steps to make that happen now.
I'm confident that having a clear vision, establishing a quarterly strategic planning process and working on your personal effectiveness are the best ways to prepare now for an amazing year ahead.
Read the full article at: bizjournals
Patty Block, President and Founder of The Block Group, established her company to advocate for women-owned businesses, helping them position their companies for strategic growth. Charting the course for impactful, sustainable, profitable businesses, the beacon is control: of your strategic direction, your money, your time, your staffing, and your ability to bring in business. The Block Group brings together the people, resources and ideas that build results.
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