Now’s the time we’re reflecting on the outcomes of 2024 initiatives and committing to 2025 objectives. Let’s remember that new initiatives take time.  Too often we see people lose patience or get distracted and scrap good plans too quickly…start a new one…and stay in that vicious cycle

And at odds is the learning curve of technology, which is tied to virtually everything and our own expectations for instant gratification.

So as we roll into 2025 with aspirational change in mind, there’s plenty to consider, but remember that the one immovable, unstoppable element is time. Here are 5 things to consider to make the best out of YOURS:

Keep it Simple.  Our world is complex enough.  Start less and finish more.  We rarely add more than one or two new big initiatives per year.  And a lot of times our initiatives surround continuing to improve ones that we started years ago.

Expect Obstacles. Don’t underestimate challenges…and don’t underestimate the ability of your people to overcome them.  We usually map out seventy percent of our plans knowing that we’re going to want to make gametime changes around challenges.

Create a sense of urgency today for tomorrow. The building blocks are the things that will get you to your outcome.  We need to be relentless at nailing the benchmarks. The little things that might seem lightyears away from your goal are the keys to actually reaching your goals.

Celebrate wins along the way. Reaching a building block is a huge deal, and a lot of people around you might not appreciate the accomplishment. We even celebrate a lot of setbacks because we know they’re a part of the journey. Think about the journeyman golfer who makes it to Augusta National for the first time…it takes a few tournaments for even the best players to make it to the weekend rounds.

And finally, Maintain Absolute Focus on the Outcome.  As great and as essential as it is to hit benchmarks…the outcome is all that matters. Otherwise we’re wasting our time. So those who can look at the little things and the big things at the same time will always fare better.

I hope this might help you fight through the challenges and be a bit more successful when it comes to your aspirational outcomes…cheers to a great finish to 2024 and remember that hitting our long-term aspirational goals is a series of sprints in a mega-marathon.

We’ve helped a lot of firms grow over the years, and we’ve grown too!

The three foundational elements that fuel growth are: 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲.

But know this, you could have the greatest, most committed people, and the best laid processes, but none of that matters if you don’t get to the desired outcome.

It’s easy to get caught up in the execution of the process, more than putting the blinders on to focus on the end goal.

The 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 will always be at the core and we have three simple rules about hiring:

• You have to be a Good person
• You have to be a Curious person
• You have to be a Smart person

The 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀, or gameplan, has to be clear, and clearly communicated. It needs to be completely thought through in a 360° fashion. But the much harder part is to have the will to manage the discipline to execute the process every day. At the end of the day, the process is not the end goal. It’s like training for a sport…and the purpose isn’t to be the best at practicing…𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻.

So, at the end of the day it’s about 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲…Winning! As absolutely essential as it is to have the right people and the right process, what matters most is the grit to win. This is what we need to do in business, but it’s also the best lessons, and culture we can offer to the good, curious, and smart people who are our teammates.