Build these 7 questions into your year-end reflection

What a year! In some ways, this year probably felt like it flew by–as things slowly began to reopen, you likely found yourself with much more to do, and many more decisions to make.

On the other hand, as we face yet another variant of the Coronavirus, and faced many setbacks with the reopening process, you might feel as though this year would never end.

And likely you feel a mix of both! And that probably played out in your business. You might have experienced surprising successes as you tested out new things, and re-engaged with your customers. But if you tried anything out, it likely didn’t go exactly as planned, and you may have experienced more than one disappointment.

Before you jump into 2022, take time to ask yourself these 7 questions–and then develop a plan for the new year!

1.  HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE 2021? What are the overall highlights of the year in your business, and how would you describe them? It might be helpful to write a simple timeline to remember everything that happen, and then pull out highlights from each month. You can also ask trusted friends and family members to help you with this–what did they hear you talking about or focusing on? How would they describe the year for you?
2. WHAT DIDN’T WORK AS PLANNED? AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN? Yes, ask that question FIRST. For some of you it might be easy to focus only on what worked well, so be sure to think about what didn’t work and why? What is something you should have done differently? Or did your customers/staff/suppliers not respond in the way you were expecting? What did you learn? What would you do differently?   
3. WHAT WORKED AS PLANNED? AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN? You certainly had successes last year, whether big or small! Take time to write them down (and celebrate!). Why did those things work? What can you learn from that? What might you continue to do (or do more of?)
4. WHERE DID YOU SPEND THE MAJORITY OF YOUR TIME? WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM THAT? Take time to do a quick assessment of how you spent your time (each week/month). Were there things that took much longer than you expected? Why? Did you spend time on activities that didn’t yield the results you were expecting? What priorities do you want to reset next year to ensure the right balance of activities? (And delegation, if possible!).
5. HOW DID YOU DO AGAINST YOUR GOALS FOR 2021? You might assume that that would be the first question, but I’ve found that answering the other questions first might help you do a more honest assessment of your results from the past year. Analyze what progress you made (and why!) and where you felt short (and why!).
6. WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE IN 2022? Then you can think through broad goals for this upcoming year, based on all of that analysis. Include specific metrics for the key areas of your business, but also include personal goals (how you will spend your time in the business, what skills you will learn, what healthy habits you’ll practice).
7. IS THIS STILL THE RIGHT BUSINESS FOR ME? It’s important to ask that question, at the end of the reflection. Perhaps you’ve had an incredibly successful year, but you’re starting to feel as though you’re done and called to something else. Or perhaps you’ve had a very difficult year, but you’re still passionate, this still feels like the one thing you’re called to do, and you’ve been able to grow and learn. It’s critical to ask this question regularly (and with the help of trusted friends and advisors) to ensure that you’re still doing what you’re called to do.

Do you have other questions to help you reflect on the year?

Contact me below to share your questions or thoughts.