December is the perfect time to start laying out your plans for the new year.
First, I'd like you to revisit 2019 to better understand where you are and where you need to go. Answer these questions (I will break out each section for business owners and corporate executives to make your planning a better fit for your profession):
1. WHAT WENT RIGHT IN 2019?
Businesses: What behaviors, habits, initiatives or projects were a success? Were they easy to do or did they take a lot of work on your part? What kind of ROI did you see from them?
Corporate: Who did you meet that gave you a tremendous leg up within the company? What areas grew in 2019? What projects were a big hit to upper management and customers? Where did you find efficiencies in your day-to-day activities?
2. What Went Wrong In 2019?
Businesses: What did you expect to happen and it didn't? Where did you spend a large amount of time or money? Did any of your feeder or prospect lines dry up this year? Did your competition do something that you're not doing?
Corporate: What areas of the company or people were a waste of time? What projects failed or were put on hold, eliminated? Where are the weak areas of your department/division? How's your boss doing?
Looking back gives you a great foundation to start planning for 2020. You should continue what went well and make hard decisions to possibly stop those areas that went sideways in 2019.
3. Set New Goals.
Now for 2020 - where are you now at the end of 2019 and where do you want to be in 2020?
Businesses:
Financially: 10%, 20%, or 25% rise in revenue?
Clients/Customers: 20-40% increase? Better customers? Faster paying?
Work/Life Balance: Spend less time worrying? More time away?
Better Feeders: More qualified referrals?
Hire Staff: Your first hire? More staff? Better qualified?
Corporate:
Financially: A bigger bump in salary/bonus?
Work: Better, more high-profile projects?
Connect: Meet the movers and shakers in the company?
Move On: Time to go?
Use the SMART method to ensure success for each goal:
Specific: Is the goal clearly written?
Measurable: How many/much and how often?
Achievable: Is it a realistic goal? Need support?
Relevant: Does it make a significant difference?
Time-Bound: Clear & specific completion date?
4. Lock-In Your Goals With Deadlines.
If you don't measure it, it will never get done. It's that simple. Take each of your goals and do three things:
a. Define the sub-activities and tasks that have to occur to deliver the goal on-time.
b. Place each task in your calendar and list all the people/resources required for you to complete it. Use a GANTT chart if needed.
c. Set a hard deadline when you want to see it DONE. Be reasonable and honest with yourself.
Don't wait until January to start your planning. Do it today.