The new year is rapidly approaching and although some of you will have already planned your key goals and the actions required to achieve them in 2012, some will not.
Regardless of how prepared you are, the best thing you can do is pick a focus for the year and concentrate on getting that right. Here are some ideas for you below:
Sustainable business
Perhaps you are in the early stages of business growth and have yet to develop your core business enough so it’s sustainable. If so, your main focus for 2012 should be creating a sustainable business.
Book recommendation: Predictable Success by Les McKeown. And his new book The Synergist to be released 3 January 2012.
Business growth
Perhaps you have a sustainable business and are looking to 2012 for growth. My first piece of advice is know your numbers. Unless you understand your numbers, you cannot make informed decisions about growth paths. Revisit the foundations of your business operations and make sure they are set up to support a growth phase.
Book recommendation—still looking, may have to write one!
New business model
Perhaps you want to choose a new business model altogether for 2012. Do your homework. Don’t let bright shiny objects guide you in your strategic decisions. Make those important decisions from an educated platform.
Book recommendation: Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur.
Client engagement and retention
Do you want to improve your service based business? Or improve your performance and your team’s as service professionals? Perhaps client engagement and retention will be your focus in 2012.
Book recommendation: Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni.
Revamp business outlook
Would you like to look at your business through an entirely different lens? Or learn some ‘outside the norm but successful’ principles that could change your business?
Book recommendation: Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson of 37signals.
Social media
Perhaps you’re considering entering the social media space and using one or more platforms in 2012 to add another dimension to your business.
Book recommendation: Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith.
This list could go on but the whole idea of focus is to do just that. If I offer too many choices, the focus will be diluted. Pick one for 2012 and read up during the holidays so you are raring to go for 2012.
