Don't Let The Lessons Of 2009 Be Wasted
Jan 17, 2010
Many of us are elated to see New Year’s Day 2010 appear. The economy was dreadful, too many people lost their jobs, medical costs skyrocketed and local government spending and services suffered. Many business’ results reflected the difficult economy and those business owners would rather forget the difficult periods and concentrate on 2010.
The more uncomfortable process, but the one that yields the most value, is to single out the times where things did not go your way. Did you have a difficult time with a presentation? Did a meeting not go your way? Did a customer or your boss chew you out? Did you lose a valued customer? The cause does not matter; the cure does.
Think seriously about what you did to cause this result. As I said earlier, it is uncomfortable to look in the mirror when you are not on your game. Understanding why this happened increases your success rate going forward. Did you underestimate the task at hand? Did you not prepare adequately? Did you hesitate when you should have stepped up? Analyzing each situation as to what happened and how you could have turned that into a success is the first step to make sure history repeats itself less. I say that because you are never going to be perfect, but turning a mistake into a success will set you apart as the person people want to do business with.
Once you have identified what you need to work on and avoid, keep a list handy. Prepare for each day by reminding yourself of what you need to work on, as well as what you do well, until it is second nature, and celebrate your successes in 2010.




