Did you write a 2015 plan in the rush before Christmas? That time of year when you were already time-pressured, struggling to meet last year’s goals before the turn of the year and just generally a little more stressed out than usual? The chances are you wrote a plan but actually, what you did was just tick the box to say you wrote a plan, as there wasn’t much thought or insight into what you produced – even though it may have taken many Skype calls, meetings with others and hours sat at your desk mulling over.
Grab that plan now and re-read it. Remember this was supposed to be your focus for 2015. Pretty embarrassing isn’t it. How many of the following phrases did you include in it:
Commit to quality / Deliver on opportunities / Enable technology / Identify new opportunities Innovate through growth / Leverage existing assets / Maximize returns / Operate more efficiently
There are many more of a similar ilk that actually are just puff. Vague statements of sentiment that when put to the test mean nothing and certainly aren’t a guide as to how to drive your business forward this new year.
Your business is built on cold hard facts – such as does it make enough money to survive – so make sure you also build your business plans on facts too.