And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun
Yes, it’s the time for New Year resolutions. Personal ones, of course (lose weight, spend more time with your children… etc.), but also managerial ones.
No doubt we all left for the Christmas break with a clutch of best selling guides to better management. The whole echelon has a life and lingo of its own, here today but gone tomorrow. Whether it is Tom Peters’ “…excellent firms don't believe in excellence - only in constant improvement and constant change”, or John Kotter’s “Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there”, what actually works? What can you actually use long term in your business?
Perhaps there is a rapport here between the personal and the managerial. The trick may be to select a change that is not revolutionary, but rather, is sustainable, even enjoyable. The goal should be to concentrate upon one thing that can be achieved and habituated. Our favourite management saying is rather older than those above: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (千里之行，始於足下) – Laozi (c604 b.c. - c531 b.c.).
A happy and prosperous New Year to you all!