How to Have a Stellar 2022!
Cathie Leimbach • January 11, 2022
Are you ready for a stellar 2022? If not, you still have time to build a sound foundation for the year.
If you haven’t started your annual business plan yet, now is the time to:
- Sit down at the computer with your word processor open.
- Type out a few sentences that summarize what you wish your business to accomplish this year.
- Pick 3 key goals that are key to achieving success in your business. Set a measurable target for each.
- Reflect on how last year went for you. Type out the things you wish to continue doing, the things you will stop doing, and things you can start doing for 2022 to be even better than 2021.
- From your start and stop lists, pick the top 3 change areas to focus on this year. Since we have limited change energy, don’t try to make changes in more than 3 areas at once.
Once you have prepared your simple business plan, having a stellar year requires being intentional about your business activities every week and each day. This includes having a basic written plan for each week and each day, monitoring how well you implemented your plan, and gradually improving your implementation.
The steps of weekly and daily planning are simple:
- At the beginning of each week, read through your 3 key measurable goals and your 3 change areas.
- Write down the 3 tasks that are most important to complete this week to achieve your key goals.
- At the beginning of each day, write down the 3 most important things to do that day towards the week's most important tasks.
- Also, write down other things that need done as part of your regular business operations.
Monitoring and revising your plans can be simple, too:
- At the end of each day, review what you achieved, acknowledge your successes and identify things to do differently the next day.
- At the end of each week, review your achievements and develop your plan for the next week accordingly.
- At least monthly, review your progress towards your 3 key measurable goals and your 3 change areas.
- Revise your strategy if you aren’t making enough progress. Modify your big picture plan if you learn that your original plan isn’t realistic.
I wish you a stellar 2022! If you develop your plan, work your plan, monitor your plan, and revise your plan, you will be celebrating success a year from now!
Jason left his one-on-one feeling encouraged. His supervisor, Ellen, had listened as he described competing deadlines and his interest in becoming a team leader. They talked about the possibility of shifting some of his workload. Ellen also suggested that training might help him prepare for a leadership role. "Let's work on that," she said. Jason thought help was coming. Ellen thought Jason would bring her a plan. Two weeks later, the deadlines were closer. Nothing had been reassigned. Neither had looked into training. During their next one-on-one, Ellen asked how things were going. "I'm still waiting to hear which project you want me to focus on," Jason said. "I thought we agreed that you would work that out." "And the leadership training?" "Did you find a course?" Jason paused. "I thought you were going to recommend one." They had discussed the same topics. They had left with different expectations. Neither intended to let the other down. But they hadn't agreed on who would do what, or when. Turn a Good Conversation into Clear Next Steps Listening matters. So does what happens after you listen. Before you end your next one-on-one, take a few minutes to make sure you and your employee understand what comes next. Talk about priorities. If everything can't be done at once, agree on what comes first. Ask what might get in the way, and what support would help. Make room for professional growth, too. What does the employee want to learn? What responsibility would they like to prepare for? Identify a step you can each take to move that development forward. Then write down your agreements. Keep the notes simple: what needs to happen, who will do it, and by when. Include your own commitments. Putting It Into Practice Ellen and Jason tried again. "The client proposal comes first," Ellen said. "I'll talk with Marcus today about taking over the weekly report. By Friday, I'll let you know whether he can." "I'll find two leadership courses before our next meeting," Jason said. "Then we can talk about which one fits." Both Jason and Ellen knew what to do next. The following week, both reported their findings and they made decisions on how to move forward. Jason’s work became more aligned with Ellen’s departmental goals. Jason felt valued and appreciated. Their weekly one-to-ones became the backbone of their workplace success. Want to Make Your Workplace Conversations More Productive? Join us for the Workplace Conversations Clinic on October 19 . Bring a conversation you want to handle more effectively, and let's work on making the next steps clear. Register Here
Sally appreciated that her supervisor made time for weekly one-on-ones. It made her feel valued. But after 18 months with Emerald Corp, something was missing. She rarely received feedback. Her supervisor didn’t tell her what she was doing especially well—or where she needed to improve. And although the company had promised continuing education when she was hired, no development opportunities had materialized. Sally loved learning. Several next-level positions interested her, but she knew she needed additional knowledge and skills. Meanwhile, two college classmates working in other departments had already been promoted. She was a fast learner. She was getting bored. And she was beginning to wonder whether she had a future at Emerald. So Sally started applying elsewhere. During Monday’s one-on-one, she asked her supervisor whether he would serve as a reference. He was stunned. “You’re doing well,” he said. “There are lots of opportunities for you here.” Sally asked whether he would support her applying for an internal position. “Well, you’re doing fairly well,” he replied, “but there are several things you could be doing better. You’d also need more experience or training before you’d be ready for the next level.” Sally was confused. “What should I be doing better?” Her supervisor mentioned a few areas for improvement. “Why haven’t you told me this before?” Sally asked. “No news is good news,” he replied. “You’re certainly not at risk of losing your job.” “But you’re telling me I’m not ready for a promotion. How am I supposed to improve if I don’t know what you expect?” Her supervisor assumed Sally would figure it out over time. Sally had assumed she was already meeting expectations. Both assumptions were costly. Within days, Sally had two interviews with other companies. One-on-Ones Should Help Employees Succeed Employees shouldn’t have to guess what high performance looks like. One-on-ones are an opportunity to make expectations clear and help employees become more successful. Talk about what they are doing well. Be specific about where improvement is needed. Ask about their challenges, interests, and future goals. Then provide the coaching, training, and support that can help them succeed. Don’t wait until an employee asks for a reference to talk about their future. Ask before you assume. Conversation is where leadership happens™ Want to Make Your Workplace Conversations More Productive? Join us for the Workplace Conversations Clinic on October 19 . Bring a conversation you want to handle more effectively, and let's work on making the next steps clear. Register HERE
