If you read our article on making the right New Year’s resolutions for your business, we hope you’ve started 2019 with some exciting new objectives to help you grow throughout the year.
However, as even the steeliest-willed souls currently toiling away in Britain’s gyms know, resolutions are much easier to make than they are to keep. This is just as true for a business as it is for individuals, so we came up with 6 bits of advice on making sure your present sense of purpose isn’t lost to the year’s routine.
Never fly solo. However large or small your team, each member should be fully involved in carving out a new course for your business.
If you’ve made a plan that you think can take your business forward, get your employees in a room, brief them on your new objective, ask for their feedback, and work out how it will be implemented.
Team members can’t carry out plans they’ve not been made aware of, so ensure that both your goals and your steps to action (more on that in a minute) are embedded in everyone’s minds going forwards.
Lofty decisions made over the Christmas holidays are all well and good, but they’ll mean nothing without a course of action to make them work.
For each of your new resolutions, plot out actions you’ll need to take each week to make it happen.
For instance, if you were seeking new funding, you might plan to spend time researching the best and most viable schemes out there, and then to apply to a different one each week until you find the one that pays off.
Remember - you’re the decision maker, so the success of your plans is down to you!
One of your first actions should be to write down and display your resolution, preferably somewhere visible to both you and your team. This way, you’ve always got a record and reminder of exactly what you have to do. This will also build trust in your commitment to doing the right thing for the whole business.
The last few years have seen an explosion of productivity apps and digital tools to streamline your working day.
From shared calendars to accounting software, there’s an app out there that'll help you achieve any of your business goals, so get browsing!
Remember though, there’s a thin line between research and procrastination - if you feel like testing these tools is taking up too much of your time, find the one that feels the most right for you and just go with it!
Before you steam ahead making major changes, it’s worth making sure that the systems and processes you have in place to achieve your current objectives all work properly.
As an example, if you market yourself online, you should review your website to make sure it functions correctly, is easily readable and is optimised for mobile. Don’t forget to also make sure your social media channels are acting as an effective digital shopfront for your business. This can all be done quickly and for free via our digital health check.
Employees who feel valued get more done. Your team will get you where you want you to be much more efficiently when they feel like they have both a stake and an incentive in their work.
Sketch out some key milestones on the way to achieving your resolution. When you’ve hit them, treat yourself and your team to a dinner out, or a fun activity day.
Both you and your team will work better with something to look forward to. And remember - building team solidarity is always a good thing in itself, regardless of ulterior outcomes!
When 66% of Brits fail to keep their resolutions for longer than a month, it’s easy to feel disheartened about your prospects of making good on that great new idea you set upon over your break.
However, if you translate your objectives into smaller, actionable steps, give yourself constant reminders of your intentions and make sure your colleagues are all onside and signed up, you’ll be all set to smash your goals and grow your business in 2019.
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