In the last few days, some of the emails I received were requests about my thoughts for 2019. One email, however, deviated from the rest by asking what my 2019 resolutions will be. I pondered on this for a while, to understand what exactly was required of me. Clearly, the turn of a new year brings excitements and trepidation. The excitement because we believe it offers a new beginning that enables us to open a new chapter. Trepidation because we cannot see the end of that new beginning. The situation is particularly compounded with various uninspiring global socio-economic forecast: possible economic recession, sluggish economic growth, political upheavals and rising protectionism. In Nigeria, the President advised citizen to tighten their belt as things were expected to become harder and tougher for 2019.
I love reading new year predictions and resolutions, and I do this with some form of amusement. Though I am not a fan of new year resolutions, I follow the discussion for two reasons: to see the accuracy of predictions, and degrees of successes in meeting the established resolutions. Rather than listening to “prophetic predictions and new year resolutions, my practise over the years is to gather my family to set clear goals and make a humble list of prayer requests for the new year. With that I begin the new year on a high note. Interestingly, this annual ritual for 2019 just got concluded a few days ago.
There are four keywords that guide of goals for 2019: Continuous- improvement, Grit, Determination and New Experiences. The year should be about becoming a better self by connecting with those around us and make the world a better place for them. This you can achieve by becoming a better manager, worker, neighbour, friend and citizen. We can all achieve this by being strongly determined to improve not just our lots but also that of people around us; our colleagues, our neighbours, families and the society at large. Achieving some of the established goals that we have set for ourselves can be difficult given the turbulent socio-economic environment, and this is why we have to become gritty. We do this by putting passion into our undertakings and convictions and persevere when things aren’t going our way. We must be conscious of the research that shows that 66% of those who make resolutions will fail before the end of February, and only 14% will make it through to December. Persevere and be part of the 14% who had a strong mental attitude to push through and achieve the set goals. Another keyword that we must also look into is New-experiences. This requires us to think and do things differently, to try new things, to challenge the status quo, to be reasonably flexible because we live in the age of constant disruptions.
As we begin the journey into the new year 2019, the following are some of the points I consider critical in achieving our goals especially if you hope to achieve something transformational.
- Be Thankful and Document Joyful Moments: constantly focusing on disappointments and failures makes you to be less gritty. It robs you of sense of gratitude and thankfulness and can be a demotivation for better performances. When you are less critical of the present shortcomings and see failures as launch pad for greater successes, it will inspire you and your employees to achieve extraordinary results.
- Embrace Inclusiveness and Empathy: inclusive practices drive innovation and enhance growth. Empathy enables us to understand and share how others feel. When you feel the pain, frustration and disappointment of your employees, customers and other stakeholders, the insight makes you to do things rightly and consequently improve all the organisational lines: the bottom-line (organisation performance and profitability), the baseline (achieve beyond the standard) the headline (recognition, awards and publication in the media), the breakeven line (accelerate the ramp-up period).
- Beware of Groupthink: you need some diverse voices in your team. Those who always play the devil’s advocate, those who look at things creatively and are never afraid to offer a divergent opinion because they are innately committed to the bigger picture of the organisation. Remember that cohesiveness or consensus could be an opinion silencing strategy rather than an outcome of a strong agreement on an issue. Therefore, surround yourself with creative and independent thinkers who can shape your unconscious bias and reality.
- Embrace Grittiness: passion and determination are essential ingredients for continued success. Promote organisational grittiness, because being gritty is a major intelligence required for success beyond talent and resources. You need to be like the five wise virgins who prepared beyond the ordinary and came with extra oil. When things get tough and rough, such people are able to say like Apostle Paul of old “We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair; hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed; –2Corithians 4:8-9. People with strong AQ are required in every organisation, especially in this age of constant disruption where the operating environment becomes more complex, uncertain and ambiguity.
- Show Respect and Treat People Right: nobody wants to join or continue to work for organisations with toxic leadership, a show of respect should be at the core of corporate philosophy. It means you honestly respect other people’s views, you understand and appreciate their challenges, you engage them in honest conversations to understand the problems and how you can contribute to solving it. Above all, you are intentional in treating your employees right, for further insight on this, you can read my article my article: Employees and customers experience: a superiority contest
- Embrace a Balanced Lifestyle: just like the tightrope walker who is always a step away from a fall, life requires us to maintain a balancing act, lest we put weight on some undertakings at the expense of others. Failure to appropriately balance all the essential elements of life may lead to a tumbling down of our work, businesses, marriages, parenting and relationships with others. It is essential that you live a balanced life, devote enough and balanced time to family, business, relationship and spiritual growth and ensure your colleagues or subordinates do the same, if you intend to create an enduring success.
- Think Future, Think Innovation: the age of disruption demands that you think creatively and open your eyes to new ideas, insights or opportunities for growth. Look into the future and ponder on how best you can do things differently, think of continuous improvement and trends that could disrupt your current business model, activities or vision.
- Be Value Driven: while market and socio-economic indices may look discouraging, the winners will be those who are able to create distinct value for their customers and also live by strong values. Living by strong values means that you embrace strong ethical practices because they define who you are and what you can be. Leaders with an authentic value creation mentality are not driven by numbers but by value they create for their customers.
- Network and Collaborate: expand your circle of influence, gain insight from others, develop new friendships and deepen old ones.
I wish you a great and healthy 2019.
