Don’t Look Back

Don’t Look Back to Move Forward—Reflect in Order to Grow.

Reflecting on the past is key as we approach year end. Many of us want to put the year behind us. Whether good or bad—we want to move forward.

What I have learned is that business owners and leaders who take the time to reflect on what went well, what they could do to improve, and what might have been missed opportunities are the ones who grow at a much faster rate.

While we could argue the value of speed, the point is if you are interested in growing, it’s important to take time to reflect, rather than just barreling ahead.

Commit your goals to paper. Review or discuss what went well and what didn’t, then define strategies that would work for the future.

What would it take for you to move forward? What have you been doing?

Reflection means looking back and saying, We have all these programs (or products, services, or technologies) but haven’t sold any of item A or B in the last year.

Should you focus on them? Should you redirect your thoughts? Should you reposition them in the marketplace? Should you eliminate it, add to it, highlight it, or move it to a different spot?

When you reflect, you can decide based on real data from the year before—what worked and what didn’t, and the results you received.?

BEFORE YOU GO

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

1. Looking back over the year, what revenue did you generate from each service, product, or technology that you offer?
2. Which generated the most, was the most profitable, or had the most demand?
3. What adjustments can you make to meet the demand of the market?

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Faris Alami is Founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, Inc. (ISM). He works internationally, presenting Exploring Entrepreneurship Workshops and other entrepreneurial ecosystem — related ventures.