Annual Planning

Here are some things to consider when planning for the New Year:
1. Brutally evaluate last year.
Play to your strengths – do you know your personal as well as business strengths.  Most people spend far too much time worrying about their weaknesses.  You are much better served to focus on strengths.
Mitigate weaknesses – While playing to your strengths, you cannot ignore weaknesses.  Continue to evaluate yourself and business throughout 2011.  Become the best at what you do by ever increasing service and systems.
Time evaluation – think about your time in percentages of major responsibilities and tasks.  How can you increase time that leads to profits?  This usually means more time with people who can make a difference in your company.  For salespeople, it means increasing actual time before potential clients/customers.  You may need to track your time for several weeks to accurately know your percentages.  Most people over estimate productive time and underestimate administrative time.
Financial evaluation – If you do not use smart numbers and some form of basic dashboard, develop one.  You need to know what numbers mean, not just the bottom line.
2. Realistically plan next year.
Tension between BHAG (Big Harry Audacious Goal) and reality.  Some people do not have dreams drilled into the anchors of reality.  Dreams cost time, money, and hard work.  If you dream big, you need to work big.  Working big is not the same was working long hours.  Working big understands how to focus, prioritize, and work strategically.  Work smart, not just hard.
Define a home run and swing away daily – I teach on how to hit home runs; daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.  When you learn how to define home runs, then consistently step up to the plate daily and swing, you will make major headway in your life and business.
Fold in ALL of life into your planning – Don’t just plan for your business; plan for life.  Far too many have married a business or profession instead of a spouse.  The result is usually divorce.  Why not win in all aspects of life? Then, you will need to plan for family, friends, self and business.  Most people enjoy celebrating the progress with others.
3. Understand the process of change.  If you keep doing what you do, you will keep getting what you got.  Only wet or soiled babies like change.  You will need a plan, accountability, motivation, and coaching to truly change.  Writing goals on a piece of paper is just the beginning.

Putting Family Back in Family Business

Many families struggle keeping business as business and not let it bleed into the personal relationships of family members.  The reverse is true as well.  If there is tension in a family relationship, there will be tension in the business relationship.  So, how do you keep family, family, and business, well, business?

Boundaries!  Clearly defining roles, relationships, and responsibilities both at the business and at home help considerably.  Expectations and operations around money, saving, spending, debt and capital are critical areas, both in a business and in a family.  How decisions are made. who makes them, and in what areas are important as well.  How do you resolve conflict, assuming conflict is resolved, and how does each party feel after?  Another important boundary is between work and family life.  It is impossible to always separate the two, but boundaries must be maintained for both to flourish.  Family members need identities outside of the business.

When boundaries are clear and maintained, families can work and play together gaining great satisfaction from both.  If you need some help with conflict or clarification in your family, give Genesis Mediation a call.  503.352.9447.