Here we are, at the outset of another year. Each New Year is full of promise, hope, and maybe even some fear of the unknown. While we all share the same mixture of feelings, we all would like this year to be our best.
So how can we do our best to start 2016 in the right mindset for growth? My advice is to choose a theme. There are scores of approaches to goalsetting and countless tracks to run on, but I have found the best way to harness productive power is by setting each year to a theme. We can then focus our thoughts and actions in very specific ways. Here are a few examples.
At the end of 2011, the pace of technological change and the growth of our business had me feeling very disorganized and out-ofcontrol. We had messy client files and therefore, a messy client experience. So heading into 2012, we chose to implement a yearlong focus on operational excellence. In fact, we named it "OE12." We printed and hung signs around the office and included OE12 discussions in all of our weekly meetings.
The result was a commitment to getting the business organized and streamlined in a way that I know we wouldn't have, had we not made it an overarching priority that year. We moved from paper files to paperless, implemented a new CRM and organized clients' information in a fashion that has transformed our operations to this day. Once we did this, organization oozed into all areas of the business.
In other years, we focused on turning financial planning into an art-form. Not only did we begin delivering truly holistic financial plans to our clients, but we charged for them and made them into works of art, with the help of a graphic designer.
