There is lots of speculation about what 2009 will look like. Some are saying “how can we plan – if we have no idea what the economy will be doing?”.
The question I ask is, would you rather be a driver of your destiny, or take what you are given?
Get daily business news.
The latest stories, funding information, and expert advice. Free to sign up.
We run online surveys on the home page www.redballoon.com.au and we asked the question this week: “Do you have a new year’s resolution?” The results were as you would expect:
- Be more healthy, 39%.
- Spend more time with family/friends, 16%.
- Get more organised, 15%.
- Do more, eat more, rest more, 11%.
- New year’s resolutions are made to be broken, 16%.
I wonder what the answer would be if we asked business type questions… say:
- Be more profitable?
- Spend more time understanding my people?
- Get more organised – and manage more efficiently?
- Do more with less and get a better result?
- Plans are made to be broken?
Each year at 11.00am on 31 December my husband and I sit and outline our plan for the year; what we want to achieve professionally, personally and as a family.
This year I have set some challenging tasks for myself, from learning mediation to developing a new business initiative. So even though we have no idea what the world might look like at the end of the decade, I plan to be in the driving seat.
For me, plans are the road map – so I know where I’m going and more importantly I remind myself why I’m doing it.
Have a wonderful time creating 2009.
Naomi is the 2008 National Telstra Women’s Business Award winner for Innovation. Naomi was also a finalist for the Australian HR Awards and a finalist for the BRW Most Admired Business Owner Award in 2008. Also in 2008 RedBalloon achieved a 97% Hewitt employee engagement score.
One of Australia’s outstanding female entrepreneurs, Naomi regularly entertains as a professional speaker inspiring middle to high-level leaders on employer branding, engagement and reward and recognition. Naomi writes a blogand has written a book sharing the lessons from her first five years.
COMMENTS