A Road Map to Success in 2015

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. – Bill Vaughn

This is the best time of the year. November and December always bring so many changes with them. In business, the last two months provide a great opportunity to review the wins and losses of the current year while getting ready to hit the ground running for the following year.

Too often managers and team leaders don’t take time to better understand why they won certain business or lost a big account in the past year. Instead, they simply lift a glass of cheer and hang a new calendar on the wall. This approach benefits no one in the organization. A great team leader will always learn from the past and present to increase his or her chances of succeeding in the future.

If you want to make the most of the next 5 or 6 weeks, follow the five steps below and use the information you put together to create a “Road Map for Success” in 2015.

Review the wins and losses. If you won a big account this year, do you know “why” you won it? What features and/or benefits were the determining factors? If you lost a big client or didn’t win a piece of business, do you know who won it or took the big client from you? What did the client see in them that they didn’t see in you? Work with your team and review all the major wins and losses.

Analyze the market. Are there new competitors in the market that you should be aware of or any companies in your space embarking on new strategies that will affect your customer base? Have you done a deep dive on the market to understand how your strategies and tactics should look for 2015? Now is the time to understand where the market is moving so get out in front and greet everyone as we enter the New Year.

Run simple. Did you introduce any processes or new technology this year that help you run a more efficient business? What were the specific and measurable results? Looking ahead to 2015, have you identified areas that need a makeover or would benefit from technology upgrades?

Managing your team. Most companies conduct year-end reviews with employees, but do you look at each employee as part of a team? How does your team interact with each other? Is there someone missing that would do a better job in strengthening the links of the team. For example, bringing in someone with a sense of humor to provide a lighter atmosphere or someone with leadership experience to guide the newer employees.

Self-evaluation. How are you doing as a manager and a leader of your team? As you look back over the last year, what are you most proud of and what will you improve in 2015? Have you taken any professional development courses to hone certain areas for acceleration? How are you portrayed in the market in terms of your personal brand? As you evaluate your team, also make sure you are taking the time to evaluate yourself and ensure that you are giving your company and your team the very best leadership.

Don’t wait until the first week in January to start laying the groundwork for planning. Take time to look back and ahead as you create a full “toolkit” of new programs, sales tactics and strategies