Let's Review... Did We Learn Anything This Year?
Or... Lots Of Unanswered Questions.

By Jim Heilborn |

Every October I become keenly aware of the fact that the year is nearly over.  It seems that the last two months of the year almost disappear.  After Halloween it seems like a race to finish the year.   It’s only a few weeks before Thanksgiving.  After Thanksgiving it’s only a month before Christmas and then New Years and then…. well it’s a new year.

I also know that it won’t be long before we start seeing and hearing all those articles and programs that list the best and worst of the year; the biggest news story, the worst disaster, person of the year, people who made the largest contribution.  Some shows, like Barbara Walters, showcase her “most fascinating” people of the year.  Other news shows focus on the worst people or biggest controversy.

While I have to admit that these shows are mildly interesting, I think we often forget to look at our own lives and businesses.  What would happen if a news organization did a story on you and your company and asked the same questions?  What was the biggest news in your company this year?  What was the worst disaster?  Who made the biggest contribution?  How about the least contribution? What controversy rocked the company or maybe was resolved?  Who were the most fascinating people in your company?  Most importantly, how will any of this information help your company next year?

It is important to step away from the day to day work and look at the company the way that others see it; employees, customers, and vendors.  You might want to have some fun this time of year and ask some people from each of these categories to review your company like the news show I just mentioned.  Ask them to tell you who they felt made the greatest contribution or caused the biggest disaster.  It might be painful, but it can also be very instructive.  We should be able to learn something from every experience we have each year.

What did this year teach us that will help our employees and us in the New Year?  What good habits were established?  Which bad habits did we finally discard?  Were we able to identify anything we should change or improve?  Let’s take a look at each area of our company and see what the year looked like.

Sales – Did our sales staff finally learn to set appointments all the time, even when business was rolling? Did they finally learn to keep making cold calls and networking till they got enough appointments needed to close the number of orders they wanted?  Did everyone (and I mean everyone) remember to ask for referrals after every order and even when they didn’t get one?  Did everyone get involved in network groups and get their name and the company’s in front of potential decision makers?

Operations – Did we find better, more cost effective ways to provide service?  Did we learn to be more cooperative even when we had to say no?  Did we learn to offer alternative options first?  Did we learn how to work within an operating budget so we could add profits to the company or at the very least cover our expenses?

Finance - Did we do everything we could to keep the management informed and up-to-date with financial information so the company could make well-informed and timely decisions?  Did we make sure that the information was distributed regularly and on time?  Did we make sure we reviewed the reports and pointed out trends to the management and ownership that they may have overlooked?  Did we do everything we could to make sure that the company’s cash flow wasn’t in jeopardy?  Did we collect and pay in a timely manner?  Were our policies fair to customers, vendors, and the company?  What efforts did we make to look at things from a different perspective; say sales or operations?  Did we make an effort to let them see our world view and understand it or did we just grumble to ourselves?

Human Resources - What contribution did we make this year?  Did we find better health coverage or lower worker’s compensation costs?  Did we improve the company handbook?  Did we search for better ways to protect the company and the employees?  Did we suggest better ways to reward and recognize our fellow employees?

What did the year we’re just completing teach us?  What experience had a significant effect on the way you want to conduct yourself and your business in the future?  What did you learn that you can apply?  Did you learn something you can share with others?

And what about next year?  Have you taken the time to write your goals and objectives?  Do you even have a clue what you really want to accomplish next year?  Are you just going to wait and see?  Did you already finish reviewing this year’s forecast and budgets to see how you will finish?  Do you know what adjustments to make in your 2006 forecast and budgets to help make sure you reach your desired outcomes? Are you at least questioning why things turned out as they did; good or bad?  Do you have a group of employees or advisors (even a consultant) who can help you do this? It is more than an annual exercise.  It is at the core of your business to understand what works and what doesn’t…who contributes and who is just passing time.  Think it through when you aren’t in crisis mode.

If you like to make resolutions at New Years, make one to review your company and apply what you learn.  In the words of Confucius, “Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.”

Regardless of your position in the company, I hope you are all able to find the time to think through what you learned this year and use that knowledge to make 2006 your best year ever.

Jim Heilborn is a business consultant specializing in the office furniture industry, working with dealers, manufacturers, and service providers.  He can be reached at 916.434.8711 or jim@jheilbornassociates.com.  His website is www.jheilbornassociates.com.