The end of the year is a good time to stop and reflect. Reflect on what went well in 2010 and what could have gone better. A time to reflect on lessons learned. We suggest that it’s important to reflect on your business but to do so after you reflect on what is going well and what could be going better for you personally. While many folks do not like to hear or acknowledge it, our personal state does influence our business success.
If you are not taking good care of you, there is a very likely chance that you are not doing the best job taking care of your employees.
We have written about energy leadership and how important it is in managing and leading an organization effectively. We have seen it, and we believe you have also: the tired, grumpy, stressed boss who treats employees poorly, makes reactive decisions and has a strained relationship with business partners or members of the senior management team. Too much travel, too many hours working, too little self-care, help and support – it’s almost as if it’s a business red badge of courage to be miserable.
Our assumption is that anyone who read the last paragraph will either see it in themselves or see it in their colleagues. It’s an epidemic and it’s cost in personal health and poor business performance is significant. Stress damages people and it damages your business. Unfortunately it’s that simple.
So as you reflect on what went well and what could have gone better, reflect first on you. Helping you will go a long way to helping your business. This goes beyond the cliché New Year’s resolutions– something you say you will do and a few days later forget that you even made them. Businesses fail because their plans for success lie fallow.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux wrote: “L’enfer est plein de bonnes volontés et désirs” (hell is full of good wishes and desires). The modern day aphorism is “ the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Work less on good intentions and more on personal improvement.
We both wish for you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Copyright 2010 Kubica and LaForest
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