AS CLEAR AS MUD

It’s that time of the year again when a lot of companies change from FY’11 to FY’12. September 1 and January 1 are the two biggest days for kicking off new business years.

So here we are looking at another week of FY’11, is it over? Nope it isn’t over by a long shot. There is still time to finish FY’11 strong and deliver those last minute sales that you have been working on for the past several days, weeks and months. There is still time to collect revenue that has gone unpaid, and there is still time to find the decision makes and close sales that haven’t even been started yet.

This time of the year is also a time to set the stage for FY’12. It is so important to start a new year with enthusiasm and energy. You need to have a plan for the year and goals set that you will work towards every day.

But just as important as making personal goals is, your company having goals is just as important. You need to know what the company expects of itself and how you fit into the puzzle. You should know any new directions the company is trying to move in and how you can help make the turn and grow the company.

The problem is most companies, even the best of the best, have a hard time conveying their goals in a clear and understandable way. This leads to the “right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing” ideas that employees get. So often it is not because the goals are that complicated or the vision the company has is that difficult, it is because no one knows how to properly state the goals, visions, directions, and plans in a simple understandable way to the employees.

Well I have a news flash for you; IT IS YOUR RESPONCIBILITY TO FIND OUT!

Yep, I know that the company should be transparent and keep everyone informed, and I believe in most cases companies are trying to do just that, but if you don’t understand, if you don’t see the picture they are drawing, if you can’t follow the thinking then it is up to you to get what you need.

Just like the legal system, ignorance isn’t a defense! If you have questions, ask them! If you don’t understand, seek clarification! How can you work at your top performance level if you don’t know what it is your working for? You may keep doing what you have been doing and thinking you are super successful just to find out that what you are doing isn’t what the company is focusing on any longer.

IT HAPPENS far too often.

By having clear and defined personal goals that align with the clear and defined company goals, the entire team will be pulling together towards the finish line.

Lorin