Welcome to 2022 — get over it!
A year ago, we all saw the end of the pandemic just a few months off. Yet, here we are twelve months later, and it is clear we are in this for the long haul. So, I have three simple thoughts that will guide me this year. I guess you can call them my leadership resolutions:
Dayne Topkin - Upsplash
1. Covid is not going away. Stop acting like everything will go back to normal someday, and the “before time” will miraculously be back; it’s not going to happen. Instead, build your personal, professional, and community goals under the assumption that the conditions that exist today are the new normal. Operating with this mindset will prepare you for what is likely to come; more importantly, it will create the ability to significantly accelerate your growth when and if things do once again resemble the before time.
2. Get back to focusing on content; nothing else matters. If you’re not producing great content; products, services, ideas, art, things that create an emotional response in people, then you’re wasting your time. Process and optimization are simply tools to improve your content. If you’re operating your business first by improving your processes and optimizing everything you do, stop! Managing the process may have worked in 2020 and 2021; it is not a winning long-term plan. The only winning strategy is to focus your energy on producing extraordinary experiences, services, and products.
3. Your most important goal as a leader is to produce growth. There are only three types of growth that matter: first, personal growth, what are you doing to improve yourself. Without a healthy, curious mind, striving to understand where you are today and where you want to go, you cannot possibly lead others. The second type of growth is business (or organizational) growth. The job of every business and every person within a company is growth — nothing else matters. Without growth, there is no future for your organization. As a leader, you’re responsible for enabling the personal development of your team and the economic growth of your business. The last area is the growth of your community. Without community growth, there’s no future for any business or family. It is your responsibility as a leader to ensure that your business and your activities contribute to the health and growth of your community.
If I do each of these well, it will be a great 2022. I hope your year is as great as mine is going to be!
Thanks,
Ron
Partner, Valize
For resources or help figuring out your growth strategy and transformation process visit us at www.valize.com.
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About Ron Boire:
Ron is a globally experienced organizational transformation expert sought out by boards to help them navigate some of the toughest operating environments within the consumer products, technology, and retail sectors. He has held C-level roles as CEO of Barnes & Noble, Sears Canada, and Brookstone, as well as senior leadership positions at Sony, Toys R Us, Sears Holdings, and Best Buy. He also coaches top-tier C-suite executives with a focus on personal, team and community growth strategies.