I like the perspective that Jeremie Kubicek shares with us about looking at the upcoming year:
2010 is in the record books. 2011 is straight ahead. How are you planning to plan for the New Year?
Most of us think of the New Year as a fresh start - a kick-off of sorts. For businesses, the majority of budgets end and start on January 1st. Yet, many of us tend to live in semester fashion, with the true kick-off in September, corresponding with the fall school semester.
With that in mind, I would like to offer a new view to year-end planning and New Year’s resolutions…
Think of January 1 and this season of thinking as halftime.
Every college football coached is asked these questions by a sideline reporter on their way to the locker - “What adjustments do you need to make at halftime? What needs to change?”
When you watch a football coach before the game, it is clear that they have a game plan. They usually know, even before the game begins, the first few series of plays they want to call. Typically, things don’t go as planned and so they need to adjust. They go into halftime and regroup and then start again with a modified game plan for the rest of the game.
Well, it’s halftime. 2010 is over and 2011 is here. Below are my questions for you as you head into the locker room:
§ What adjustments do you need to make at this halftime of the year?
§ What changes do you want to see?
§ Where were you disappointed in yourself and what do you plan to do about it?
§ Where do you want to expend energy this year and what do you not want to spend time doing?
§ What is working well (systems, communications, relationships)?
§ What 2-3 things need to happen well in the first 60 days of the year?
One of my halftime activities was to go through my entire 2010 calendar, with emphasis on last year’s first quarter and the most recent fourth quarter. I then highlighted every meeting I had and every trip I took and put them in the following buckets.
§ Great Use of Time
§ Possible Good Use of Time
§ Waste of Time
I then listed my travel dates and how many nights I was out of my own bed and how many day trips I took. I even listed the financial and relationship investment made and how it benefited the company. As I started the New Year I met with my assistant, Beth, and went over every person on the list and every trip so that she could help me make the proper adjustments to scheduling for the second half.
While I don’t expect you to follow this same routine, I will tell you that the intentional look into my calendar revealed several things about how I use my time and where my priorities are.
Whatever your plan, be intentional with making the proper adjustments that benefit you, your family and your team. Good adjustments are better than plans for new resolutions.