‘Designing Strategies’ Newsletter
January – February 2007 Volume 4 – Issue 14
We’ve all managed to make it through the year end rush. There is always so much that goes along with the November and December holidays. Then there is New Year’s Eve with parties and celebrations that leave us exhausted as we face the new year. The exhaustion seems to be just the right mood to watch the football playoff games on New Years day. It may not make a lot of sense, but unfortunately, seems to be the way it works out. Hopefully, somewhere in your six or eight weeks of celebrations, you made time for designing strategies for success in the coming year.
I am sure that all of you have either worked through the planning process for 2007, or reviewed and updated your strategic plan for the part of your fiscal year that continues into 2007. You determined what will be preserved in your plan, what isn’t going to happen for some reason, and what strategies need improvement now that you are at the juncture to implement your goals and objectives. Designing strategies for success is critical to moving your small business forward.
Designing Strategies to Move Your Firm Forward in 2007
There are a number of strategies, goals and objectives that I just know you included, or added to your plan as you move forward into this exciting new year.
- You added at least one or two tasks that require you to stretch yourself and your resources a bit. It’s time to move out of that comfort zone where you’ve been treading water. Without stretching you can’t hope to achieve things that are just a bit out of your reach. This is where growth comes from.
- You allowed for the time and resources needed to investigate new products and services to expand your existing lines. It’s time to venture into new arenas. Target and develop new markets. Expand your horizons and grow your company.
- You added a strategy to your plan focused on the review of your customer service. And, of course, that includes a task to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to your customers’ expectations and experiences in dealing with your firm. Don’t forget to include contact with customers in this process.
- You included strategies to develop recruiting and retaining tactics for each of the generations in your work force. What works for one group, like Baby Boomers, will not necessarily work for Generation X or Millennials. Each generation has very different wants and needs. If you don’t know what makes each group tick, find out. It could mean success or failure of a team, a project, one of your facilities or your entire business.
