We are halfway through January of a new year. How are your resolutions starting out?
The past year was no ordinary year; it was 2020. My clients still have one foot in this very difficult yet stimulating year; what will the current year look like? They are doing the postmortem for 2020 but finding it hard to write the report because they cannot decide how to score and interpret the results or comprehend what ‘next steps’ mean under the circumstances. What were the results supposed to look like? Was success about maximizing loss avoidance or growing meaningfully? These questions are not easily resolved.
Growth in revenues, of course, is always validating. Sustainable revenues are the pulse of your business, and if you could grow them in a year like 2020, it is a strong indicator of your sales ability and the demand for your product.
Growth, however, can be about so much more. Some of my clients saw shrinking revenues but grew their opportunity pipeline, key client relationships, strategic vendors, and suppliers. This growth is expected to get them sprinting out of this turn later in 2021.
Minimizing contraction and maintaining steady revenues (or avoiding much greater losses) can feel less clearly like growth, but as my clients all agree, 2020 saw them grow as founders and leaders. They gave the year everything they had: hard work, innovation, resourcefulness, and smarts. It will stand out for every one of them as one of the most determined and creative years of their lives.
2020 did indeed make us grow in multiple ways. I congratulate each one of you reading this and present you with a symbolic award and my highest respect for making it through the year.
As we continue into 2021, some of the biggest questions my clients are asking include: how do you move forward from 2020? How do you plan? What is next if you have no way of measuring or assessing your results? How much can you trust the results you identified to inform you about how to proceed? Considering the uncertainties of the year, how much can you credit to your actions and how much can you blame on the pandemic?
Looking forward, you might be faced with doubts about how to start the current year. Be strategic. Weigh in on the right level of energy output that will ensure lift but avoid a situation where you run out of fuel. In other words, should you be pushing as hard as you can right now or is it better to build systems that could scale in the future? How do you pick the most significant parts of your business to tackle in 2021? How do you not allow yourself to work from a position of scarcity? How can you be gentle on yourself?
I am proud to help my clients unpack how they ‘know what they know’ and to mediate between external expectations and their inner voice. If you are a founder working to get clarity on 2020 while finding strength and direction in 2021, I invite you to a spot coaching session with me.
Spot coaching is an opportunity for a confidential conversation that helps you express yourself and hear yourself at the same time. It can create confidence in moving forward with a coach. Get in touch!