As 2022 closes, thoughts turn to the year ahead. What will it bring? How will things seem in another twelve months? Will my business continue to grow? What issues will I have to deal with next year? What can I do to be the best practitioner I can be?
Whilst it is impossible to guess exactly what will cross our threshold over the next year, it is possible to take proactive steps to deal with most of life – and work – throws at us. Perhaps the first step is to identify a realistic set of goals. Not a wish list of impossible targets, but a strategy for really getting to grips with all those little issues that you keep meaning to deal with. Another task is to really assess how your business operates. Do you have the right staff doing the right things? We are not suggesting wholesale sackings, but a clear-eyed look at the skills and personalities available stacked up against the requirements of your company. Perhaps one of the things on your list of goals is to arrange training or to diversify in some way. If so, include that as part of your assessment.
Another job is to look really carefully at your emergency protocols and succession planning. In practice, it is often the case that one or two key people do 70% of the day-to-day management in a small or family business. Even in large firms, there may well be key people, without their input things start to fall apart. However, it is never wise to have indispensable people who could let’s face it, just not be around without warning. From breaking down in the car with no cellphone signal to being hit by the proverbial bus – how will your business function if key people are unavailable? Furthermore, what is the long-term plan for the business? Who will run it when you or someone else retires?
Finally, the turn of the year is a really great opportunity to look back at what went well and what didn’t. What kind of feedback have you been getting? Have you been getting any at all and if not, why not? The key to future success is building on past success and avoiding past mistakes, so if you don’t know how things have gone, you need a way to find out!
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