"If you always do what you always have done, you will get what you always have gotten"

 

Changing the way things are done can bring opportunities for great success.  Unfortunately, just the thought of change may trigger such reactions as fear, confusion and irrational rationalizations of why you do not need to change. It can be tempting to give in to those anxieties when thinking of implementing change.  However, more of the same is not a recipe for success.  The reality is that not changing allows the world to change around you and it can take you one step closer to becoming obsolete.  Just look around you, there are so many industries that are falling to the wayside because the world changed and the industry become obsolete:  typewriters, record stores, video stores, film for cameras.  They are all about to take their place in history.

 

The challenge is to find out what needs to change and what needs to stay the same.  Not all of our personal, and business practices, need to be changed.  In fact, many should not.  Mariposa Restaurant is one of our favorite places to eat.  We'd go there specifically for their Asparagus Salad...toasted herb-infused bread, topped with arugula & an overeasy egg, sprinkled with cheese,  and seasoned just right.  It had become our favorite and we never needed a menu.   One day we went to Mariposa and it was off the menu.  Gasp!  We were crushed....paralyzed as we stared at the menu.  While we selected another item, it wasn't the same experience.  In this specific case, we would prefer change not to happen.  Now, we just hope that those fluffy popovers won't go away! 

 

Now, there are other things that are desperate for a change.  I remember when I purchased my first Apple Computer, I purchased a One-to-One program.  But, they did not have enough people to service the program.  I would have to make appointments weeks in advance.  How many of your computer problems are that well planned?  Today, you can drop by an Apple store and get immediate help or schedule an in-person appointment with tech support within the same day.  In this case, pivoting to accommodate customers' needs increased business and customer loyalty. It increased ours!   

 

How do you decide on your change? Ask yourself these 8 questions to get clearer on what to change. 

 

1.  What personal and business tolerations interfered with personal and work progress?  Tolerations are a good indication of issues in need of resolution.

 

2.  Were last year's goals reached?  Why or why not?  Setting goals without having evaluated the previous year's goals can result in a cycle of substandard results.

 

3.  What would be fun to do this year?  

 

4.  What do you need to change to have a more __________(balanced, more money, more community service, more efficient) year?

 

5.  Am I working on things that I am passionate about?  Connect to your bigger purpose in life, work and business and the reards will flow. 

 

6.  What do I need to learn this year to be marketable?  Technology changes fast.  Discovering what's up and coming and leveraging that knowledge is the key to an exceptional year.

 

7.  How can I add value to my current clients? 

 

8. Who should I reconnect with this year?  

 

For TH!NK, when we asked ourselves these questions, one of the decisions we became clear on was the need to better support our clients and the local business community by offering public workshops and to pursue becoming an approved vendor for the Employment and Training Fund.  So, how about you? What will you do differently in 2012?  Share your thoughts on our   TH!NK Facebook Page.