The year 2022 for me will be a laser-focused year. This requires me to be hyper-diligent in setting goals and leading my team. It will also require me to cut out unnecessary obligations, tasks that feel more like busy work, and affiliations that are no longer fruitful.
We have all lost so much in 2020 and 2021. I feel like this is the year to climb out of the hole for many businesses. Even if your business did well as mine did, it came at a great cost.
Some days, I felt like a hamster on a never-ending wheel and other days I felt like a juggler, just trying to keep all of the balls up in the air. I know that my staff felt the same way too, so I made sure that I sent messages of encouragement to them instead of criticisms, when short-term goals went unmet. We were all doing the best we could.
This year feels optimistic and promising, but realistically I know that for many businesses and organizations they will be playing a bit of catch up in terms of pulling their teams back together fully, creating meaningful events, and reaching out to their partners in ways that they haven’t been able to in the past two years.
The economy is projected to grow by 4% worldwide, but lacking supply chain and staffing will likely continue to be an issue for the rest of the year. This means that at times we will all feel like the hamster on the wheel and the juggler, but I know that we can get through this time of continued uncertainty, if we remain laser-focused.
Here are the top three things that every leader should focus on:
1. Your people. Just use the mantra “people first, mission always.” If you take care of your staff, your partners, and your community, they will take care of you.
2. Your expenses – watch your bottom line and be ready to cut costs, if necessary.
3. Your growth – this is the time to act upon the goals that push your business forward, even if it’s incrementally. If you have the opportunity to take a big win and grow, then by all means do it, but if not, any success - no matter the size - is a win. Take it, run with it and celebrate it. Check your progress regularly to stay on track and be ready to make changes, like reducing expenses or making an investment at an opportune time, such as purchasing a warehouse or merging with another organization or business.
So, if you want to take your business to the next level, get laser-focused on your people, your expenses and your growth.
