The end of the year is a good time to reflect. While it is necessary to examine shortcomings and unfulfilled goals, it is also important to consider what went well.
“The negative stuff is the obvious stuff,” says Rosemary Smyth, owner of Rosemary Smyth and Associates in Victoria. You should also make your yearend review a positive experience and focus on what went right. Make a list of your team’s accomplishments throughout the year, such as gaining new clients, solving a problem for a client or holding a successful event.
To help you focus on the positive, Smyth provides eight questions you should ask yourself:
1. How do I want to celebrate reaching my goals?
This is the one step many advisors skip, Smyth says. But you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished and commend yourself and your team for a job well done.
Maybe you’ll take everyone out to dinner or organize a retreat.
2. What do I want to do differently next year?
There’s always room for improvement. So, consider what you would like to do better. Maybe your client base did not grow as much as you had intended, so you could resolve to attend more networking events.
3. What accomplishments am I most proud of?
Your accomplishments are what bring you to work every day, Smyth says. That is especially the case if you had hurdles to overcome this year.
For example, you might have had a busy month when your office was understaffed because team members were sick. However, you managed to get through and the experience taught you to further appreciate your team’s efforts.
4. What did my most productive week look like?
By looking at an entire week, as opposed to a day, you will have a more accurate reflection of how you work best.
5. What activities energize me, and which ones drain me?
If your work requires that you do something that you don’t enjoy, you must decide whether you can endure being uncomfortable or whether you have to find another solution.
For example, at networking events, are you comfortable approaching strangers or would you rather be at the dentist?
“You have to consider whether that [activity] is going to be productive for you,” Smyth says.
6. What one decision made the biggest difference in my practice?
The answer might surprise you. It could be a staffing change, such as hiring an associate — or it could be taking a longer vacation, which really energized you after a tough RRSP season.
7. How did I find the balance between home and work life?
It’s easy to be curious about your professional success without considering the impact on your home life. However, if you value both, ask yourself if you feel you divided your energy properly between the two.
8. Which one of my strengths and talents did I use the most?
“Sometimes, people have natural skills and talents that they don’t think twice about,” Smyth says.
Maybe your clients have brought these to your attention. For example, one client might have lauded the way you went above and beyond expectations and helped him find a retirement home for his parents. Or perhaps you wrote a series of popular blog posts.
It is these skills that you should want to take forward into the new year.