You’ve probably already seen plenty of stories about 2009. The "remember when" of top news stories, who died, who was arrested, politics, and just about any other topic from Tiger Woods to the economy.
Personally, I don't read or watch these stories since I've already lived through it once. Why spend time on something when you already know the outcome?
What's more important is to review your own story of 2009. That's the one that can make a positive difference in 2010.
Most people learn and experience more in a year than they ever realize. And therein lies the opportunity. By taking an inventory of how you developed as a leader, manager, employee, parent, spouse, and friend, you're able to see how you have grown in those areas.
Just as important is seeing how you fell short, missed an opportunity, or didn't take action when you should or could have. Many people can't do this because they internalize it as failing, but it's only failure when you don't try to learn from it. It's better to see whatever it is as a shortcoming that can be corrected and leveraged in the coming year.
I have worked with and engaged with a number of retailers over the last year. If I had to collectively sum them all up, these are the top five things these individuals learned and developed in 2009.
- To create high performance you must have high expectations. As simple as this sounds, most people have high aspirations with little expectations.
- Fix or remove under-performers. I can't tell you the number of times a client or reader told me they wished they had fixed or removed a problem employee sooner. No one ever told me they took action too quickly.
- You have to be responsible for your own traffic. This was the year that a lot of specialty retailers figured out that hoping for walk-in traffic is not an effective strategy. Retailers who worked hard this year in communicating with and engaging this customer base on a regular basis were rewarded this past holiday.
- Daily success comes from developing and motivating employees every day. Not a week or monthly meeting, not a memo or an email, but leaders leading at every opportunity. Not surprisingly, these are the staffs that performed at the highest level.
- It's always, always, about the customer. This isn't something these retailers learned this year - it's something they've always known and have continued to put into practice in spite of the economy and other challenges.
How about you? What are the top five things you learned and experienced over the last 364 days? Invest in yourself and write them down. Even better, write them down and share them with someone else. Celebrate your list as you carry these lessons and personal growth in to 2010. |
