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Welcome to 2020.  It is a new year and you are probably filled with personal and professional goals to be successful.  Unfortunately, some research has shown that less than 25% of you will keep your personal resolutions past 30 days and only 8% of you will keep them over time.  Of course, in business, this would spell disaster.  But it is still a struggle, mainly because not enough time and thought are put into shaping business goals, planning for their execution and being open to change.

A successful goal is not made at one company meeting.  Start with ideas, tons of them, without regard to their possibility or even if they are good.  Being able to dump ideas without concern or judgment can reveal elements that can be used in the final decision.  That’s right, even a horrible idea can have a redeeming quality about it.  That’s why this process is so valuable.  Think of all the time and energy you put into a new product or service for your customers or clients. Expect to do the same for your internal goals if you want them to be fulfilled.

Create a space where ideas can be added when they are thought of instead of asking people to hold onto their inspirations until the next meeting. You will get a lot of more interesting ideas and compelling reasons that way.  Then take all those possibilities and throw some out, consolidate others and find the reason behind the ones that get to stay.  This makes for a solid foundation to move forward.

Only then can you think about execution.  How do you put these ideas into play? What will compel the workforce to be excited and carry the new processes into everyday practice?  How can you measure if it is working and worth it?  Yes, it is true, not every idea you have will work, or work well.  You have to try to know sometimes.  Barring something that would affect your reputation, there really is no harm.  In fact, there is a lot to be learned both pro and con.

So, what is the best way to take an idea and make it a reality?  In this area, communication is key.  And you should know by now I am a communication freak.  If you don’t get that right, nothing else really matters.  Your workforce should know what is coming, why it is coming and what you hope to achieve.   Hopefully, you have included a good chunk of your workforce in the process of idea creating and refining.  Now it is time to market, yes, I said market the idea to your entire organization.

Take time to think about how you would do this externally and use it internally.  The marketing piece includes new ideas, and how and why they will take the company and each individual to a new higher level of achievement. If you do this well, you will have way more engagement.  This will create a much quicker time period to be able to assess its level of success.

The last piece has to do with the mindset that execution is not the last step.  It’s just one step.  After you execute, you have to have the patience to see how useful the idea is.  I guarantee you won’t know in a week.  Depending upon the change, it usually takes around 6 months to be able to clearly evaluate a new way of life within your company. It could easily be a lot longer.  Don’t get impatient.  When you look at the results, ask yourself whether it has met your expectations, needs a tweak or should be abandoned.  I don’t think anything works as you think it will until it is actually incorporated into your unique environment.

You cannot possibly think ahead of time of all the possibilities that may occur.  If you have that crystal ball, please let me know.  Without it, expect that there will be instances you need to evaluate.  It is normal.   With the right mindset, discussed and taught before the process begins, even abandonment of an idea will not be looked at as a failure.  Hopefully, it will be a great learning opportunity.

Create, execute, evaluate, rinse and repeat.  Culture is a living process. Get it right and your business will grow in leaps and bounds, both internally and externally.  Recruiting and retaining talent will be easier.  Productivity, creativity and well-being will increase.  And let’s not forget your bottom line.  When your culture grows, so does your profit.  Make culture a priority in your business plan.  For ideas, listen to the Businesses that Care podcast, or ask me for some special episodes.  My guests have shared hundreds of ideas that work.

If you need help, call me at 724-344-0728 and let’s create a workplace where new ideas, constructive adjustments and praise are the norms.