Sriram Bharatam.
By Sriram Bharatam
In Summary
- It is easy to brush it off as another routine pre New Year resolve to make your resolutions work, but make sure you welcome the New Year with a plan especially one that can bring healthy work-life balance.
The New Year is just a few days away and it’s usually
the time of the year when people are busy thinking of new ideas, making
new resolutions and new commitments. And why not?
It is probably the best time of the year for businesses to take time, sit back and reflect on how the year has been for them.
But what’s more important is to set aside time to
take stock of how things are looking for the business in the new year,
plan for it and make sure goals are set. In short, it’s time to pause,
reflect and plan. One may wonder ‘Why New Year? What significance does
it have?’
More than any thing else, the one major reason why
New Year is the best time is because everything is fresh, and it gives a
feeling even to those who are just giving up that there is hope to bury
the past ahead and make a fresh beginning.
So if you are thinking of coming up with some New
Year resolutions, then read on for some tips. The golden rules to apply
in this exercise are:
Pause and be true to yourself: Be
honest about your strengths and weakness. Remember you are evaluating
your own self, your own business and your own future. This exercise is
not done by others or for others, it is all about you, so be true to
your own self. And trust me it does not take too long, but it brings in
lot of value in the long run.
Reflect on the past: Reflect on
your past deeds and actions and more importantly, the results it brought
to your business. Some may have been brilliant moves but have brought
about disastrous results and vice versa. Don’t rule them out,
introspect and reflect.
Plan well: Once you have
introspected and reflected, design your own course of action, seek
advice and help if you so desire. Your overall goal should be to strike a
positive work-life balance, so you can achieve true and satisfying
success in the new year.
One of the biggest challenges this exercise can
help you solve is that you could know what exactly should your focus be
on? Though every business should focus on what is priority for them,
here are some universal priorities.
1. Focus on your personal self:
First identify and acknowledge that you are different from your
business. Many entrepreneurs and business owners often fail to
acknowledge the difference and end up feeling frustrated and suffocated.
Identify areas of overlap, segregate them and focus on improving your
personal self. The New Year is a perfect time to shift the focus on
your personal development and growth.
2. Review and improve your business operations:
The next priority is of course your business and its operations. This
includes a review of your customers, your vendors and your own
processes. Your focus should be on how to improve your bottom line.
3. Delegate more often and more than you ever did:
Delegation is the key to a healthy work-life balance. It is important
for you to realise that “If you want to do it right, you don’t have to
do it yourself.”
4. Invest on learning and development: Leadership
and learning are indispensable to each other. When you know better,
you do better. It is important for businesses to realise that an
organisation’s ability to learn and translate the knowledge into action
rapidly is ultimate. Once you develop a passion for learning, you will
never cease to grow.
5. Market yourself, network more and be part of a community:
The aim of your marketing initiatives should be to know and understand
your customers so well that your product or service fits them and sells
well. Network often and be part of community that can build and engage
your audience.
6. Set goals, review them consistently: It
is important for you to realise that you may not be able to achieve
everything you planned for or desired. So be realistic in setting your
goals. It is important for you not to go overboard. Set achievable
go
7. Take corrective actions: No plan
is complete without a corrective action in place. Plans are bound to
fail, targets are bound to be missed, but the impact may not be as high
if you take corrective actions and measures at the right time and in the
right measure.
It is easy to brush it off as another routine pre New Year
resolve to make your resolutions work, but make sure you welcome the New
Year with a plan especially one that can bring healthy work-life
balance. Pause, reflect and plan. There’s no better time than now to do
this. Reflection and planning are vital if you want a healthy business.
Mr Bharatam is the founder and chief mentor of
Kuza Biashara, a capacity building organisation coaching youth and SME
owners across Africa.
als, review them and measure them periodically. Make provision for
allowances and exceptions
No comments :
Post a Comment