As business owners, it is often easy to fall into the habit of looking at the negative. We look at what we didn’t get done that we intended to do, how far we fell short of a particular goal, how a key employee left us for greener pastures, how we made another hiring mistake and now have to deal with it, or why cash flow is is a problem yet again. Do any of these sound familiar?
I often advocate that my clients take time every week to evaluate how their week has gone, prepare for the coming week, and to make sure their current activities are in line with their business plan goals.
It’s a good idea to first look at what you have accomplished and to give yourself credit for it! Maybe you fell short of your sales goal for this month, but you are ahead of last year! Maybe you have put in place another system in your business, maybe you finally got that employee handbook done, or your website has been revamped and is now “live”, or you have launched that new marketing campaign that you have been working on, or maybe you just got a little more organized and took time to work ON your business.
Whatever you have accomplished, take time to look at it, appreciate it and give yourself credit for your accomplishments. (Don’t forget to give your employees verbal credit too for their part next time you speak with them or at your next team meeting!)
Next, I recommend that you take a hard look at what you need to accomplish or what you need to improve in the coming week or month. If you are tracking your progress and Key Performance Indicators on a consistent basis, it will be apparent where you need to focus attention.
Finally, set an action plan, or update your existing action plan to make sure you are spending your time where it can make the difference to achieve your objectives for the coming week and month, and to fit in with your overall plan. I am betting you will see positive results!
*I remember my Dad, a WWII Vet, singing the song with these words “Accentuate the Positive” around the house when I was growing up. It was recorded by Bing Crosby and others, and attributed to Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen. The opening lyrics go like this: “You’ve got to accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative, and Don’t mess with Mister In-Between”. Not bad advice…