There are all sorts of ways to approach planning for the upcoming year. What has always been clear to me is that you need to have a plan. Your plan should be in writing and it should be specific, including the actions expected, who’s responsible, and when each step should be completed.
There are a few important “mindsets” that will keep you focused on a creating a plan that can help you achieve your desired results.
Probably a decade ago I wrote a piece for the old Mortgage Originator about the need to lean forward no matter which way the wind blows. Strangely enough I talked about volatility and uncertainty. Times don’t change all that much nor does the message about leaning forward, or moving forward if you like, no matter the circumstances.
There is certainly more than one way to look at change. A view could be that there was a perfect window of opportunity to grow our business and we missed it. Now is not the time to take chances. Let’s do nothing or maybe even retrench. That’s one view but I don’t buy it. I never have.
Of course there are other views. Whether we are in the upside or downside of a business cycle it takes definite action to create momentous results. We need to ask ourselves what will it take to move us forward now? No matter which way the market winds blow, standing still and doing nothing doesn’t usually work.
During a recent coaching session, I was asked, “How do we get the most out of ourselves?”
Several ideas came to mind, and I quickly rattled off a short list. Upon further reflection, I thought it was a list worth sharing, because we all have the potential to do more than we are doing today.
Here are eight ways that you can unleash the best from within yourself.
At the end of each year, all of us at Building Champions take time out to rest and reflect. With this in mind, our office will be closed beginning on December 24th. You can look for more thoughts on Leadership From the Trenches when I resume blogging in January.
What will the New Year hold for you? In what ways will you be blessed, and how can you continue to help others be the best they can be?
My hope is that you will join me this Christmas season and reflect, renew, and recommit to be the best person you can, in every respect. Here are some questions to help you do just that.
As we approach another year, we go through the “exercise” of preparing a new budget, reviewing our vision, and detailing the actions needed to reach our goals.
These are all reasonable and necessary activities, both for our businesses and for us personally. However, these activities are often approached as just an annual exercise … something to do and get done so we can get back to work.
When completed, the exercise goes back on the shelf or the corner of the desk to be reviewed again next year.
It is a mistake to put off for tomorrow what can get done — or at least get started — today. We’ve all heard this saying before, but it still holds true. This logic applies to the myriad of daily tasks, large and small, that need to be accomplished to realize our goals.
We all need more intentional urgency. Complacency and indecision are killers for any organization. We need to determine what needs to be done, and by when. Then we need to get busy accomplishing each task.
Never confuse activity for accomplishment. Stay on track, and focused on the actions you’ve committed to. Hold others accountable to get things done on time. Urgency matters!
It’s important to dream big, to create a vision that causes you to reach for something greater. But once that vision is cast, you need to take action if you’re ever going to see it fulfilled.
Too often, big picture thinking and strategies are translated into projects that become too cumbersome and complicated to ever be completed. Actions may be vague and undeliverable, or timeframes may be ill-defined.
When tackling large projects, break them down into manageable pieces, with a clear plan for accountability and measuring results. Think in 100 day or quarterly timeframes, and stay focused on getting these actions done on time. You’ll find that more gets accomplished at less cost.
What we are capable of achieving is often greater than we realize. Don’t buy into the notion that by setting the bar low, you can easily surpass your goals. In practice this almost never happens.
Set stretch goals – for yourself and for the team – and strive to reach them. There will always be barriers, issues and challenges but they can be overcome with a plan, clear focus, strong commitment and persistent execution.
Falling short of a stretch goal will yield better results than if you had aimed lower.
Jerry Baker began his career in the management development program at Ford Motor Company, later became a manager of budgets and analysis for Northrop Corporation, then furthered his management development as Deputy Director for the California Department of Commerce when Ronald Reagan was Governor.
He advanced through senior management ranks at Countrywide Financial, becoming Managing Director. He then became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fleet Mortgage Group, a public company. Jerry joined First Horizon in 1998, holding several senior executive positions before becoming President and CEO of First Horizon National Corporation and First Tennessee Bank.
As a member of the Board of Directors Jerry helped to refocus, develop, recruit and lead the company through a tumultuous period. Under his leadership the company had nearly 10 years of double digit growth in returns.