Is this you? Do you feel like the hamster going round and round on the wheel and getting nowhere?
What are you doing to make the most out of what you have in front of you right now? Can you afford to wait until the world gets nice again, whenever that’s going to be?
I can’t.
Now is the time to DO something—get off the hamster wheel and act. Make something happen. Here are some ideas to help you get off that wheel.
Pull out your strategic plan for 2020. What projects are in limbo? Maybe they got put on hold because the key players were swamped and didn’t have time to work on those earlier. Which ones could or should be handled now because the key players have more flexibility?
Which clients have you been out of touch with? Sure, the pandemic has curtailed lunches and conferences, but you still have a phone and email. Who do you need to reach out to and see how they’re doing?
What services can you provide that your clients are unaware you even offer? In my work with different companies, many firms do a fair to poor job of cross-selling their services. This often occurs because employees are too busy or lack the information needed to cross-sell. That sounds like a good challenge to take on now—educating staff about new ways you can serve clients.
Assess your talent pool. Determine which skills different employees need to improve, then provide the opportunity to do so. Have them develop new knowledge, skills, and abilities that will help your firm, your clients, and prospective clients.
Review your operations. In times like this, the problems tend to rise to the surface. Weak links and poor performers become more visible. Act now to resolve those issues.
On the personal side, review your goals for the year. Which ones have you let slip—or maybe just ignored? Now is a good time to see if those goals are pertinent to you now. Throw away what doesn’t matter now and work on what does.
What’s been on your to-do list for ever that you can now take care of? At my house, the to-do list includes cleaning out the jungle we think of as our backyard. When you’re busy, weeding and cutting back ivy are not priority items.
Give yourself time to just be. Most of us have had our lives turned upside-down to some degree. Use this time to act by not doing. Listen to nature, observe the birds, cuddle with your loved ones. And breathe.
© Pamela A. Scott, 2020, MentorLoft.com