For ten years from 1985 until 1995, Bill Watterson dispensed humour and wisdom for the ages in what I’d say was the last great daily comic, Calvin and Hobbes.
At this time of year, my meetings and calls with clients turn towards reflection on the year past, then to where they are now, and only after that to where they will focus in 2019. After several such meetings this week, this image popped up for me on Twitter at the perfect time.
Today, then, some musings and advice from my experience on a way to review the year, then a closing offer from me to you to have a call or meeting to review your year.
“Day by day nothing seems to change, but pretty soon.. everything’s different”
Calvin and Hobbes
Now, recently I facilitated a day for a client leadership team I started working with in January this year. This relationship began from a conversation their leader had with a close contact of mine, where they shared that they felt they needed to create a clearer purpose, vision and then their way of being with each other if they were to achieve their stated goals. They were then referred to me, for which I am most grateful, has been and continues to be a privilege to work with them to release their potential ever further.
For all my talk of recommending patience, sometimes I struggle with this myself, I’m a very high energy person and love to move at a fast pace. This particular client team, though, has a natural pace that is relatively slow, yet of course, my role is to support them at the pace that works for them. Yes, sometimes guiding and even pushing, but also working with their strengths. One core strength I saw above all was that each of them is highly motivated by a sense of purpose, hence key was to align around that purpose then engage and create behaviours and actions around and from that.
So, towards the end of the year, that day we had together was quite remarkable, as it became clear quite how far they’d come. Afterwards, while commuting home after the day, their leader sent this email to the team (only tiny redactions for anonymity needed):
“Somewhat subconsciously we seem to have imbibed the ‘Aim’ we set earlier this year and it was good to step back for a few hours to recognise that we’ve actually come quite a long way since we started on all this. That is down to you and your teams.”
The starting point, “somewhat subconsciously” speaks very much to the wisdom of Calvin and Hobbes.
“Day by day nothing seems to change, but pretty soon.. everything’s different”
Sometimes we look for immediate and measurable changes in a very short time, yet the more I work with leaders across businesses from small to very large, from charities to central governments, nothing is more powerful than aligning the energy of people around a common purpose and this is careful, conscious, subtle work that does take time, commitment and investment.
So, for the big changes you wish to say, sometimes it is vital to “slow down to speed up later”, and at the end of the year, sometimes you may surprise yourself to see how different things have become over the course of a whole year.
From that story, let’s consider the patterns we typically use for reviewing the year. So many will turn to “New Years Resolutions”, which, in my experience, are typically all about eliminating the negative, and so often result in very little other than more negative self-judgment. Try positive energy (with added pragmatism giving depth) instead.
For your business and yourself, how about first doing as this client just did and reflecting on the change that has happened over time, whether “somewhat subconsciously” or perhaps more obvious. Either way, it is so valuable, as the client leader noted to “step back” to recognise how far you’ve come.
From that reflection on the past year, next take some time to consider where things stand in the present moment at the end of the year.
In another client call this week, the client reflected on where they were right now with completing certain projects by year-end. Having worked with them for years, I felt one particular point was really notable. They had completed an annual project by mid-December that, two years before, they had not completed until the middle of next year. Major progress and they weren’t conscious of the shift until it was pointed out by their sounding board (ie me).
Now, once you’ve looked at the present (and how far you’ve come and what progress you’ve made), then you are in a position to look contextually at your context, your “one word” for the next year.
For this second client I am talking about here, their word for next year came out as “Simplify”. Very different from two short years ago, when it was “Professional”. As Calvin would say: “everything’s different”, so now they will simplify by refining their already highly professional, effective, profitable business.
In closing, it is joyful for me to be present to such year-end conversations with clients who have made such progress.
For me, then, time to do my own reflection. Concisely, 2018 has been a year full of change and progress for me and for my work on many levels. I’m very, very grateful and also enthused about 2019!
And you?
I hope you find value in this process I have shared, and now I have an offer for you.
A truism is that “you can’t see the goldfish bowl you are swimming in”, so my clients are those who recognise the value in an outside sounding board with many years of business building and leadership experience. Such a person will listen deeply to you before reflecting on what they may see through the lens of their wealth of experience. Through that process, clients find their own answers with rapid clarity.
To close then, an offer. I have space in January to meet (or have a call if you are not somewhere we can meet in person, I work globally) with a select few leaders who are hungry, humble, brave and open (see my #BeMoreYou page for more).
Contact me and we can book in a conversation to support you in reviewing your 2018 year, where you are at the close of the year, then set your “one word” for 2019.