By Mike Heffner
At the start of every year, I pick “One Word” as a theme to help shape my year, and I look to integrate it into everything I do. This is something that author and speaker Jon Gordon promotes as a leader’s alternative to a New Year’s resolution. This past year my word was Opportunity. 2022 was full of opportunities for me to weave that theme into both my personal and business life. This year I have chosen the word – Sustain.
I think one of the toughest things to do is to grow a business into a top performing organization. It’s even tougher to sustain that growth and excellence for the long haul. I recently read Alan Stein, Jr.’s book – Sustain Your Game, and he shared three things that are necessary to sustain that growth. His book shares that we are all a work in progress, and we need to continue to move toward our highest potential. This is how we can make the biggest difference and become the best versions of ourselves. He lines out three strategies to help us sustain our game.
Manage Stress – I know I can improve my time management, and it will help me battle the stress of the day to day. It’s important to control the controllables and only focus on the things that will make a difference. The key to managing stress is to manage our time, have a plan and prepare for what we think is ahead. A quote from Alan’s book is, “It’s better to prepare for an opportunity that never arrives than not be prepared for one that does.”
Avoid Stagnation – You can always get better. If you think you have it all figured out and are running on all cylinders, then you are likely headed for derailment. I love the quote from George Mumford – “We need to be weary of being on a plateau and not moving on to the next vista because we’re daunted by the path it takes to get there.” We have to be willing to change, learn and be uncomfortable in order to continue to grow.
Beat Burnout – In Alan’s book he states, “Burnout is the long-term effect of misalignment.” It’s easy to become exhausted when the activity you are doing no longer brings joy. Focus on why you are doing what you are doing and what you want the outcome to be. Aligning your values with your work will help avoid burnout. As well, make sure to take time to set boundaries and allow yourself opportunities to recharge.
I believe, if you want to see your business continue to grow and continue to make a lasting impact, you will need to incorporate the things above. Alan has convinced me that if you want to sustain what you have built, continue to evolve, and become the best at helping people be successful, focusing on these three areas will be key.
As you plan for 2023, I hope you set aside time to find your own One Word. You may already know your word, or you may need to take a few days to ponder over things. It’s never too late to get started! I always Google my word and try using it for a few days to make sure it fits. A great website to help is GetOneWord.com.
This article is written by Mike Heffner, the owner of the local Greenwood Express Employment Professionals franchise. Contact Mike at Mike.Heffner@expresspros.com, @IndySouthMike on Twitter or visit ExpressIndySouth.com.
