For many, December is synonymous with holidays, gifts, and family gatherings. Culturally it is perceived as the happiest month of the year. However, the truth may be different from that idea. Most of us indulge in between the blur of cookies and baked goods, chocolates, office parties, and frantically prepping for two weeks off, priorities shift.
No doubt about it, rest is good, and the festive season gives you and your team a chance to unwind from a year of hard work and gets rejuvenated for the year ahead (or, in this year’s case, the decade ahead.) However, what if we were to argue the point that December is the new January? Here’s why the festive month is a good time to get organized on a new year level…
1. Reflect and Evaluate
Evaluate the calendar year holistically, not only in progress but also in failures and setbacks. Review and learn from mistakes. Take another look at the successes and what behaviour helped and worked. Evaluate what was done to increase Work-Life Balance, be grounded and mindful, learn something new related or unrelated to work, and how you and your business interacted with internal and external stakeholders from the brand, reputation and capacity perspectives.
2. Reach out
Use slow time in December to reach out to customers, mentors, coaches and colleagues and send season greetings. Send out a newsletter with wishes for a prosperous new year. Assure customers that your business will always be there for them when needed. Reaching out to customers is very important to increasing customer retention. Use the season to establish contact with customers, leads, and everyone on the mailing list.
3. Plan
It is time to establish a blueprint – we say it is planning! Write your business or life vision and objectives. Write and brainstorm to live holistically and wholeheartedly. Businesses should create a plan for their brand and its visibility in the market.
4. Get Organized
Prepare for next year’s support system (strategic, operational and engagement plan) for you and your businesses. Set up for financial tax filing and administrative work for the fiscal year closing. Organizations can organize themselves into priority projects, community membership renewals, and strategic priorities.
These are four essential things you can do for the next year and set yourself up for success. However, it would be best to close the year with tradition. Tradition is a safe place to innovate, and the best of today’s innovations will become tomorrow’s traditions. I suggest readers have a tradition at the end of the year. My tradition is hiking a specific trail in December and reflecting on the year, and starting the new year with mindfulness and grounding myself. Please post comments on one tradition that helps you to close your year while reflecting on what worked and what did not and moving forward.
I wish the best of luck to all of you to close the year and have a comfortable holiday!
Let me know how I can support you in the New Year– Reach out – at www.eigrowth.org or nimir.raval@eigrowth.org
Nimir Raval
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