STARTING STRONG IN 2020 BY MUYIWA AKINYEMI

Everyone -businesses and individuals, began the new year with some extra energy. Unfortunately, two months down, most people don’t really know where to begin.

Some started with high hopes and unrealistic expectations and can’t simply get past the stage that they are at right now. While some plunged into the new year with no direction.

I know how the feeling- that new year feeling. The fresh, invigorating feeling to start afresh, to right the wrongs, to correct and grow but amidst all these feelings you have to come clean with yourself and ask yourself; what do I really want to achieve at the end of this year? What are my goals for this year?

As a business leader there is always the expectation and pressure to improve performance from one year to the next and it can be difficult to choose how and where to focus on that will actually lead to results.

Everyone- Business and individual, needs a plan to navigate the tide in 2020, hence starting strong cannot be overemphasized. Success in 2020 would be down to comprehensive understanding of your short and long term objectives. In summary, I have put together some necessary and crucial points to starting strong in 2020 and onward.

GOAL SETTING- Set concrete short-term goals

Goals are powerful—they help focus attention on achieving desirable outcomes. In business, one desirable outcome would be profitability hence your business goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, and timely.

Thankfully, the 2020 budget was passed in time, restoring normalcy to the budget calendar. This implies that corporates can have an overall view of the government’s planned behavior in formulating company-specific projections and expectations for 2020. As large corporates, it is important that your budget/strategy aligns with the realities of the country’s budget and economic direction. Set concrete short term goals and review monthly where possible, to evaluate performance and/or modify strategy to achieve set goals.

As an individual, creating goals gives you focus, helps you measure progress, helps you stay motivated, helps you beat procrastination and helps you achieve even more. When you set a goal and reach it, it gives you the taste of victory. Working towards meeting and surpassing goals help you achieve way more than you ever thought possible.

RELATIONSHIP- the chain is only as strong as its weakest link

The value of any work and the common ideologies of the parties involved helps to build a collaborative relationship.

Relationship building is key to success in the long term. Nurturing the needs of any customer can go a long way to forging relationships that last forever.

Given that CBN policies are implemented through the financial sector for which banks are key players, it is advised that corporates have a review session with their bankers to lay bare their corporate strategy (financial and non-financial) for the year, understand the policy direction by CBN and resultant short/long term implication for businesses. Develop SLAs with your banks in line with these and monitor implementation. The bank is your partner and is key to achieving your corporate goal.

For individuals, the key to business success is winning and keeping customers. And the key to winning and keeping customers is, and has always been, relationships.

BE DISRUPTIVE- Never Settle

Three things immediately come to mind when I think about disruption- 

1. The world as it were has become smaller and walls are almost non-existent (a global village). 

2. Consumer tastes and preferences 

3. Growing concerns on sustainability.

This means that competition in business is not localized but global. It is important to expand market (export), continually review processes and products for ways of sustainable improvement to remain relevant in a dynamic society.

As an individual if you’ve reached a point where you notice you have become regular, you should disrupt yourself for the same reasons that companies must- to stay relevant. When you disrupt yourself, you veer into a new path and you discover new strengths. Remember that when it comes to personal disruption, compensation is not just financial. It’s also psychological.

To win, you must never settle.

PEOPLE – Let people smell the roses while they are alive

People really are the core of your success. Key to achievement of any corporate objective is people. Let your staff smell the roses while they are still alive. Celebrate people, complement staff, show empathy. Re-enforce the norms and ritual specific to your organization. In summary, show them you care.

At the end of the day, what starting strong comes down to is finishing well. So, how about you take a step back, rework your strategies and start again? This time stronger than ever.

All the best!