It is all too easy during the first week back in the office to rush into work.
I hope that you have used the Christmas break to reflect on your business and personal priorities and consider what you want to achieve in 2016.
Once you get sucked into the day-to-day minutiae of work, those holiday initiatives quickly get buried rather than turned into plans and implemented.
I recommend using this first week in January as time for a fresh start, time to write down your ideas so your notes can act as a framework for considering them. This process of reflection allows you to consider them in more detail and where necessary gather more information before refining them into goals.
A useful way of thinking about ideas is to use Kipling’s Six Honest Men approach which seeks to answer the questions What and Why, Where, When, How and Who.
They would suggest using this first week to concentrate on ”What?” and “Why”. What are the potential opportunities? What do I want out of my business? Why am I working so hard? What are my/my business’s possible goals?
Over the next four weeks, we will encourage you to adopt a systematic and logical approach to setting achievable goals (what and why) before we identify the actions (where, when how and who) that will be needed to accomplish them.
For example, sounding out colleagues can help you clarify what may have only been a broad outline of an idea. They may also have innovative ideas to contribute as well as more hands-on experience of the practical implications of what is being considered. You might also ask if they are prepared to help you, especially if your ideas involve change.
Summarising the essential points at the end of this period is also crucial before progressing to the next stage which I will cover next week.
There are other benefits from involving colleagues. Consultation can also help to engage and motivate staff, get their buy-in and help them to understand the process so that when it comes time to implementing your plans they won’t be sabotaged.
(Image courtesy of pakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
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