As we wind down to the end of another year, it is time to reflect on the year and begin to plan for what will be your most productive year yet. A key part of the review of 2016 is to consider 2 key questions as you analyse the year across your business, your role, your relationships, health, fitness and professional development :
- What worked well in 2016? What can you take from this year and continue to focus on and implement in 2017?
- What worked not so well in 2016? Not that you may have ‘failed’ in an endeavour during the year, but what perhaps did not deliver the outcome you were looking for?
Identify these areas, and that will enable you to create a strong platform for what needs to change in 2017 so that you may enjoy a higher level of success and fulfilment. Please do not skip this exercise, as it is critical to your ability to begin the new year with clarity and purpose, without having to carry any ‘excess baggage’ from 2016.
Just as we have been trained and conditioned to focus on our strengths and minimise our weaknesses (I like to refer to these as ‘blind spots’ or areas for development), this exercise does exactly that in respect of the year about to end, and the year about to begin. It also allows you to ‘close off’ or finish things so that space is created to start new areas of focus in the new year that will allow you to create a different outcome.
Having worked with some powerful and inspirational mentors over the years, when it comes to the New Year, there are 7 keys that successful people focus on to give themselves the best start to the year as possible, and they continue to focus on these keys throughout the year. Implementing these keys consistently will deliver you outstanding results for the year, and in 12 months time, as you conduct your 2017 review, you will be reflecting on and celebrating your most successful year yet.
Here are the 7 keys:
Key 1 – Hunger
Every successful person is constantly hungry – hungry to get better, hungry to create results, and hungry to increase their influence. This hunger begins with an insatiable desire to achieve something; they have a huge dream. They do not set their goals based on what they think they can achieve, they set their goals so high that the goal not only excites them, it also scares them! And then they approach attacking that goal with a belief that they are always in 2nd place, that the bar must continue to be raised, and they must continue to get better in order to put themselves in a position to achieve the goal. This is a fundamental yet powerful mindset that keeps them grounded and focused on the job at hand. They are never satisfied. How hungry are you?
Key 2 – Humility
Combined with an insatiable hunger, successful people are also incredibly humble. They understand that in order to be in a position to achieve their goals, they must be focused on the delivery of service to others. One of the more difficult things to do, especially when going through a rough patch, is to maintain your focus on others, however, this is what will allow you to ‘walk through the valley’, and ultimately deliver the outcomes you are looking for. Look for opportunities where you can serve others, irrespective of context. It could be simple things (and seemingly insignificant) like opening a door for someone, smiling at a stranger, or providing some advice or mentoring to a person in need. These activities start as a mindset and develop into a habit. When the focus is on others and the value you are able to provide, what you will begin to notice is that you will be in situations where rewards will begin to flow your way, and you will accept these rewards with humility. Being humble is a massive key to success, and yet, is overlooked or ignored by so many people. Through humility, you will be a ‘beacon of light’ for others, you will attract great people and you will increase your influence. Be humble and serve others!
Key 3 – Momentum
Contrary to what many ‘gurus’ out there would have you believe, achieving anything worthwhile takes work – and the key here is in creating momentum. And momentum is created through activity. Yes there may be some heavy lifting required up front, however, you will get to a point where less effort is required because the effort you have put in has compounded and you are almost unstoppable. Think of a snowball that starts its journey at the top of the mountain; not only is it small, but it requires effort to start rolling it down the mountain. However, the more you push, it not only gathers speed, it increases in size and momentum kicks in. So the key to a great 2017 is to create momentum early. What can you do in the first 30 days of the year that will enable your snowball to increase in size and speed as it heads down the mountain?
Key 4 – Hustle
Linked directly to creating momentum, how hard are you prepared to work? The harder you work, as long as you are focused on the right areas, the more momentum you will create. Hustling for many people has a negative connotation, however, in this instance, hustling is a mindset and a habit where you will work harder than everyone else and harder than you have ever worked before. Here’s the thing – if you are wanting to achieve outcomes in 2017 that you have never achieved before, then you will have to do things that you have never done before. And this may require you to make sacrifices along the way, especially in terms of time allocated to other activities. You will expand beyond your comfort zone, you will go beyond your perceived limits and I can guarantee that it will be worth it. Hustle, because time is ticking!
Key 5 – Learn
As I have said many times, leaders and successful people are insatiable learners. They are always in search of new knowledge, but not just to acquire it – they acquire knowledge specifically and then apply it, measure the outcome, and adjust accordingly. In order for 2017 to be an absolute scorcher, you must continue to learn – this could be through reading books, listening to relevant podcasts, watching instructional videos, attending seminars or working with a coach or mentor. Many successful people never compromise on continuous learning, so much so that they spend at least 10% of their income on personal and professional development. What do you need to learn in order to give yourself the best opportunity of achieving your 2017 outcomes? Make this a priority.
Key 6 – Team
Here is a fact – nobody achieves success on their own, period. Even when you look at successful sportspeople, entertainers or business people, every single one of them has surrounded themselves with a strong and supportive team. Roger Federer for example has a team of experts around him that enables him to continue to develop and perform at the elite level. He has a tennis coach, a mindset coach, sports nutritionist, physiotherapists, business manager, to name but a few. And many of these people are ‘behind the scenes’, not seeking the limelight, however, are fundamental to Roger maintaining his elite positioning. So look at who you currently surround yourself with – will they make a positive contribution to you being able to achieve your outcomes for 2017? If not, who do you need to bring onto your team? Surround yourself with awesome people who are all on the same page, and your chances of achieving your outcomes for 2017 will skyrocket.
Key 7 – Feedback
All successful people are feedback seeking machines. I should say the people who achieve sustainable success. They know that everything is feedback. How customers respond to their marketing, to their level of service, how their employees greet customers and potential customers – it is all feedback and it provides insights into how successful they will become, as long as they acknowledge the feedback. They are constantly seeking ways to improve, to stay ahead of the game. They are not afraid of asking for direct feedback either, as it is a key to their ability to remain relevant and to being able to provide ongoing value. They are awesome at providing feedback to their people, key stakeholders, and even their customers with the knowledge that feedback not only reinforces positive behaviours, it can also identify areas for improvement, and because they are humble, they are able to deliver the feedback in a respectful way. In what areas do you need to seek and provide feedback? Become a feedback seeking machine.
So as you embark on a brand new year, please set aside some quality time to review 2016 and ask yourself the 2 fundamental questions. With this foundation in place, then tap into the 7 keys, because these keys will unleash your potential and enable you to experience an exceptional 2017.
To your continued success.
Darren
If you want to know how you can better lead your sales team, send me an email at darren@darrenmitchell.com.au
If we haven’t already connected via LinkedIn, I would love to connect. Please click this link to send me an invitation.
Also, be sure to download a FREE copy of my e-Book “Lead With Influence – The 7 Strategic Keys to Unleash Your Sales Leadership Potential”. Click on the link to the right of this page to download a copy.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post – I greatly appreciate it, and welcome comments and feedback. Please feel free to comment below, to follow me on LinkedIn, or to connect via Twitter, or Facebook.
Darren specialises in working with Sales Leaders to create, implement & embed a sales leadership game plan that will deliver outstanding and sustainable sales & revenue results. He is also the founder of the Australian Sales Leadership Network, a LinkedIn Group for sales leaders to share insights, strategies, resources and best practices, in order to build high quality, engaged and successful sales teams, delivering profitable and sustainable sales results. To apply to join, please click this link.
