The past two years have been challenging for most businesses.
2020 was the year we all hit the pause button and when our greatest weaknesses and vulnerabilities were exposed. It showed us where we as a society were hindering our own growth and where we needed to redefine ourselves.
2021 gave us either what we wanted after going through all of the struggles of 2020 to achieve all of our goals OR it gave us the lessons we really needed to achieve bigger and better things in 2022. From the Great Resignation to major supply chain disruptions to new variations of the COVID virus to increasing costs and intermittent shut downs businesses have faced the reality that it’s time to do things better. It’s a time to humanize business again.
2022 is going to be all about letting go of the good to become great which will require the next level of commitment, intention and alignment.
So what can we do different in 2022?
To start, there are three key elements that you want to make sure you have clearly defined.
Vision
This year it’s important to redefine and refocus on your vision. Believe it or not I’ve been asked, what exactly is your vision? Your vision is what do you want to be, who do you want to serve, how will you serve them and what difference do you want to make in the future with the team you are building and what you do every day. What can you see yourself achieving in the next 18 months to 3 years. As you grow your vision will grow and develop. Building that strategy around it and that strategy takes into account being live or being virtual. The past two years have created a lot of burnout so taking the time to focus on your vision is key.
Culture
In 2022 redefining what you want the culture in your business to be and how you can make it healthy, wealthy and resilient is going to be super important. The 3 keys to building a healthy culture are: diversity, connection and communication. The culture you create sets the rhythm in your business for planning, goal setting, interactions between management and the rest of them as well as the whole vibe that everyone feels, inside of the business and on the outside with customers.
Experience
The last piece is that customer experience. Ask yourself:
-How can you disrupt the status quo and do things your own way to build a better relationship with your customer?
-How can you be relational instead transactional when you have interactions with customers, vendors and your community?
-How can you deliver at such a high level to your customers that makes it easy for them to work with you and makes them wanting to come back time and time again.
So how do you get started to bring these 3 key pieces together in 2022 and create a healthier business?
1. Define You Core Values. Take time to not only define and communicate the core values in your business but to also understand what core values are important to your employees. The core values of the business and the core values of the employees must be in alignment. This is what determines who you are, what you stand for and how you want everyone to show up in the business.
2. The Customer Experience Doesn’t Start with The Customer. Yes, that is correct. Your customer experience doesn’t start outside with your customers. It starts inside with your employees. When your employees are engaged, empowered and genuinely care about what you’re collectively building it pushes outward to the interaction with the customer. Have your employees be a part of the ideation and creation process for internal processes, customer campaigns and new business initiatives.
3. You Must Let Go. My husband gave me an article the other day of three things that you need to let go of in 2022 to be a better leader and the first one was learning to let go of control. Take the time to educate and empower your team to make decisions, run with projects and carry out the operations of the business. This will give you the creative space to development important projects and continue to drive the vision of the business. If you are constantly in the day to day operations trying to control everything the business will continue to stay in the same place. If you empower your people to make decisions, take on projects and give input you build a culture on creativity, diverse thinking and innovation.
4. Create a Budget and Understand Your Numbers so You Can Take Care of Your People. Don’t outsource what you don’t understand yourself already especially when it comes to your financials. Take the time to learn what’s on your Profit and Loss statement, what your cash flow management looks like and what your Balance Sheet says. The 3 things will help you plant the seeds, water them and watch your cash bloom which in turn will help you make healthier decisions in your business. When you have an understanding of what each season in your business looks like you can match activities with each including how you can better take care of your employees with retirement programs, health insurance and employee development.
5. Invest in Your Team and Make Education a Priority. Invest in your team and they will invest back in you. The more you make them a part of creating the success in the business the more vested they will be in what their doing. The best way to invest in your people is through education. The more knowledge people have the more clarity they get and the more empowered they feel. This includes educating them on your vision, the core values of the business and who your ideal customer really is. It can also include creating an employee development program for training on important processes, up leveling the customer experience and even your personal of how you got to where you are now in your business.
