January 15, 2020

William Butler Yeats isn’t the usual source I’d turn to for business insights.   Poetry, sure.  But business insights?  Not what he’s known for.

But there you go…you can never tell from whence insightful business direction comes.

And a more perfect direction for 2020 would be hard to find because he was spot-on when he shared,

“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”  

WB (can I call you WB?), thanks for asking us to jam on something critical as we business owners sit in the middle of January, beginning of a fresh year.

Make your iron hot by striking…stop waiting for it to get hot.

Dear business owner, WB wants your iron to be hot, hot, smokin’ hot right now.  Not September or October.  To look up, realize your 2020 Goal is still “out there.”

What can make your iron crackle starting right now…like really right now?

• Set your goal: one, measurable target you want to reach this year (usually it’s your gross revenue)
• Lay a flexible plan to achieve it: for example, how much revenue are you targeting for January?  How much do you have right now?  Who are your “hot” prospects ready to say “yes” to you right now…if only you’d reach out to them?
• If you’ve been in business for a bit, call your former clients. Trust me on this: the first problem you solved for them made them happy, but now they are left with a new problem.  You can solve that one, too.
• Make sure your Actions for January, February and March lead to your Goal. You don’t have to do anything that’s business housekeeping.  That keeps your desk neat and your bank account meager.

Sure, you can tackle more.  These are great starts and will yield a very nice first quarter.

Start the first quarter strong and the rest of the year will feel like…well, like your iron’s smokin’.

Go forth and do great things,

Martha Hanlon and Chris Williams

December 11, 2019

It’s that time of year. The time where endings and beginnings are all jumbled up together.

Planning for the year to come bumps up against the scramble to complete everything that still needs to be done this year.

Our brains…and our schedules…are overcrowded. It’s natural to think that there couldn’t possibly be time for reflection.

The truth is there couldn’t be a more perfect time. This is when learning becomes leading.

At the end of the year, we have all the evidence about what’s working, what’s not working and what can work better with a little adjusting.

Success leave clues.  So does failure.

It’s our job to look at those clues carefully so that we can set the path for success in the coming year. A careful reflection brings insights that can save a lot of time, energy and stress if we use those insights to influence our decisions moving forward.

That’s what leadership is all about.

It’s about connecting the dots between past choices and future actions. Knowing what to do more of, what to do less of and what to do differently.

Year-end reflections can be personal or a team effort. Good leaders do both and use the process to understand where there are gaps between the leader’s vision and the team’s perspective.

Before you shout at me that you have no time, take a minute to think about the time you’ll waste in 2020 if you don’t take the time now.

It doesn’t need to be a crazy, complicated affair. No need to get lost in the weeds or go down the rabbit hole.

In order to do a year-end reflection, ask yourself three simple questions:

1. What went well in 2019? – Do as much or more of this in 2020.
2. What didn’t go well in 2019? – Do less (if any) of this next year.
3. What came close to doing well in 2019? – Decide what to do differently that can make this a win in 2020.

The answers to these questions will give you a good foundation for where to focus your energy as you chart the course for 2020.

In the midst of the holiday hustle and bustle and the year-end rush, take time for reflection. It’s a great investment.

Go forth and do great things,

Martha & Chris