No doubt you have worked hard. You have challenged your creativity, stretched every penny, and exhausted every option. Good job!
So, in these last two weeks of this year, how about taking a moment to ask yourself: “What have I, and what has our organization, learned from this year? What will we do differently in 2018, as a result.”
To start the new year on the right foot, here’s a little holiday gift you can give yourself right now:
- REFLECT: Look back over your 2017 calendar and identify (at least) 3 specific ways you could have used your time better. Now apply those lessons to 2018.
- INVITE: Send a quick email that asks your Board, management team, staff (and maybe even your donors and audiences) to respond to this question: “What was our greatest accomplishment of the year?” In January, consider sharing those answers as an energizing 2018 kick-off.
- PRIORITIZE: Answer this question, “What is one truly important objective I can take responsibility for accomplishing in the new year.” Such personal clarity is the source of all kinds of energy and productivity.
Bottom line: Don’t allow the new year to “just happen” to you. And don’t accept that the only change you have to make is that you have to “just work harder.”
You’ve learned so much this year, you deserve the celebration. You also deserve to get smarter from your experience and apply those lessons to 2018.
