[bctt tweet=”For the remainder of 2016, @CoachAsanda urges you as a business owner to give it all you have” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
For most of us, the next couple of weeks are crucial for business. Things may not have gone the way we planned these past couple of months. Typically, you’re dealing with unpaid invoices, which are resulting in cash flow challenges. You are relentlessly trying to ensure you meet your sales targets.
All of this can be rather stressful at a time when you should be already planning for the next year. Remember though that there is a lot that is out of your hands. My advice is to rather focus your energies on what you have the power to achieve.
For the remainder of 2016, I urge you as a business owner to give it all you have. Yes, the year may not have gone the way you would have liked it to, but you can still end on high spirits. You can adjust your attitude and end on a high note!
Here are three tips I’ve used myself, which I credit for my excitement when the year comes to a close.
1. Recall your past successes
When things are not going our way, we tend to focus on what is not right and neglect to appreciate what has gone right. Yes, you may have had serious financial challenges, yet you managed to keep your business going.
How did you do that? You were determined to make it happen —appreciate yourself for that drive and don’t pass up the opportunity to congratulate yourself. What is the one thing you didn’t think you could pull off that you did?
Think of all the wins you experienced since the beginning of the year. When you realise that you DO have a track record of success, you are positioning yourself more favourably to go for more wins.
[bctt tweet=”As we draw to the end of 2016, think of all the wins you experienced this year” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
2. Set yourself bit-sized goals
Most people set long term-ish goals; be it yearly or quarterly and these are not as fluid as I believe they ought to be. Things change, priorities change and unless you have your goals’ sheet fluid, you tend to not spend enough time on realigning, changing and even removing those goals that no longer serve you.
The result? When it’s time to see how you’ve done, you have items you did not achieve. The point of setting goals is to achieve them, so what’s the point of not achieving what you’ve set out to?
So for the next month, draw up realistic, interrogated bi-weekly goals. The name of the game is to accumulate those small wins as they pave the way for bigger ones.
[bctt tweet=”For the next month, draw up realistic, interrogated bi-weekly goals” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
3. Adopt feedforward planning
The past is behind you! What has gone wrong has done just that; gone wrong. Spend the next month on getting feedforward and not feedback. So instead of asking your clients how you did, rather ask them how you can best service them going forward.
A typical question you could ask is, “For the next month how can our service be to your liking?” If you have staff you could get their feedforward on how you can best be a better boss to them. When you focus on the future, you feel empowered because you have the power to influence what happens in the future. Getting feedback on the other hand is too focused on what has already happened.
[bctt tweet=”You can move from dreading year-end to appreciating all that you have gone through” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
You may not have the power to change your balance sheet over the next couple of weeks but you do have the power to change your attitude. You can move from dreading year-end, to appreciating all that you have gone through and preparing yourself for the next year.
The choice is yours. End 2016 on a high where your business is concerned and 2017 will not know what hit it!