It’s the end of a year I think a lot of people would rather forget, and one we will definitely remember!
Whatever plans or goals you set yourself this year I’m guessing things didn’t quite go as you had envisaged. In December I like to review my year and set goals for the year ahead in business, sometimes I list 10 things I want to do in my personal life too, all of which didn’t happen, and that is OK.
I think now, more than ever, we need to look back with curiosity and an open heart and identify all the small wins we managed to make out of the changing landscape.
My small wins:
- Increasing my skills to deliver training online with confidence
- Responding quickly to the impact of covid-19 to keep the business going
- Creating online programmes of training focusing on the impact of covid-19
- Maintaining friendships and trust with David & Gemma, despite the ultimate impact of their positions being made redundant
- David & Gemma both securing alternative employment fairly quickly – yay to you both!
- Building stronger friendships with other business owners and identifying opportunities to collaborate in 2021
- Maintaining my sense of fun!
My Highlight of 2020
The highlight of my year was adapting and delivering the management programme online. Getting to see the delegates each month, continuing to connect as a group and getting a greater understanding of the value of online training was a massive win for me.
Finally completing the management programme that started in September 2019 was such an achievement, for myself and everyone on the course. Seven brave managers (pictured above) from six organisations came together to learn and grow in their roles.
Over the first six months of the training everything went to plan, people were developing their communication, coaching and motivational skills, building their confidence and turning their hands to coaching their people.
Then lockdown happened, and I had no idea how to adapt to the online world, so after some much-needed training and a fair amount of programme development, I took the training online, and this month (December 2020) those seven brave managers graduated and now have the practical skills needed to support their people through the continued uncertainty provided by Covid-19.
I was delighted when delegates shared they had grown in confidence and ability over the year, and it really showed. Some were promoted during the course of the year, others found their skills and abilities grew and recognised they were managing their teams better and themselves.
2021 Focus
We also need to plan for the future, while recognising we still don’t know what that will look like. To be honest, we never have known, if covid-19 has taught us anything I hope the pandemic has broken the illusion of control and helped everyone to focus more on the things they can change, which is always just ourselves.
Next year I will carry over the following from my 2020 plan:
- Get my management programme recognised by a professional body – more exciting news on that one as the year progresses
- Add more value to the management programme for everyone by partnering with an expert in motivation – more exciting news on that one early 2021
- Build a management programme online that focuses on mental health and wellbeing at work
New for 2021
- Build an online management programme that will stay online only, enabling people from anywhere in the country to grow their management skills
No matter what 2020 has brought for you, I hope you can find some positives in it. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the negatives (it’s what we are hard-wired for.) With a little reframing we should all be able to find some positives from this challenging year.
To find out more about the next 12-month Management Development Programme check out our Open Training page.
I wish you and all your family a happy and healthy end to the year. May 2021 bring more of what makes you smile and less of what makes you frown!
