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Time for the Industrial Resolution

27 January 2011

With Christmas a distant memory and New Year even fuzzier we enter 2011 with the usual collection of good intentions. Loose weight, get fit, get promoted, get a job, move house, have a dream holiday, upgrade the car, or just simply be happyier! We all have specific thoughts on what we'd like to see happen this year and beyond but how can we make sure our list of good intentions and plans turn into reality?

With Christmas a distant memory and New Year even fuzzier we enter 2011 with the usual collection of good intentions. Loose weight, get fit, get promoted, get a job, move house, have a dream holiday, upgrade the car, or just simply be happyier! We all have specific thoughts on what we'd like to see happen this year and beyond but how can we make sure our list of good intentions and plans turn into reality? For business owners New Year resolutions often reflect our hopes and aspirations for our company, getting it fitter, making it more marketable, winning new customers, growing the operation and yes doing all this with a smile so we can be happy in our work. In the grind that is the current economic situation this can be quite an ask but it shouldn't prevent us aspiring to improve our lot. Lets not settle for the fatalistic thinking and lethargy that a series of tough trading years can encourage. As Canadian IT entrepreneur Alan Kay once famously said, " the best way to prepare for the future is to invent it" and that's exactly what we should be doing. No longer can we rely on grant funding, RDA's and Business Link, not that we ever did, but many SME's relied upon that support infrastructure as a recipient and deliverer of services. So the landscape has changed and so must we. No better time to set out those New Year resolutions but how do you make them happen? I have no magic wand but just a couple of straightforward suggestions on how to set out your plans for the year ahead, be they personal or business related. I always write down my resolutions, make a list it works. I also try to be as specific as possible in mapping out the way in which I may achieve a given goal. Secondly use the power of peer pressure. By way of example Im working at my fitness and Im not doing it alone, the competition element of our group helps me push myself further than if I were doing it alone. As for the business I'll be sharing the business plans with my staff to demonstrate what we plan to achieve but also to let them know they too can have an impact. You could also involve family and friends with your resolution, people you wouldn't want to let down can help motivate and maintain the momentum through the year. If you've got a New Year Resolution and you'd like to share to help achieve it feel free to drop me a line, robertgibson@samuelphillips.co.uk Or tweet me @samplaw_Hr or find me on LinkedIn.