Reflecting on 2020…

 

Well, 2020r didn’t exactly go as any of us had hoped and planned, did it? To be completely honest, it was a very challenging year for most of us, with worries about health, finances, mental wellbeing and running a business, with all of us yearning to get ‘back to normal’.

 

With all the challenges 2020 has brought, it’s easy to write off the year as a bad anomaly and swiftly move on, however, I challenge you to take the time to reflect back on this year and focus on the things you have learnt, your personal challenges, things you were grateful for, perhaps new goals, or new perspectives you would like to take into the new year.

 

Reflection is key for successful company growth and team performance, but also for your own personal development – a chance to reflect on the past year is something that every professional and business should do.

 

 

Reflecting as a team

Whilst your team’s thoughts might be heading towards Christmas, make sure you get everyone together to complete this simple exercise. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy exercise and research has shown that reflecting in the workplace can improve job performance. By doing this exercise as a team, it can pinpoint where improvements might need to be made so that you can adjust your strategies, ensuring you are constantly evolving.

 

Self-reflection

This exercise is just as important if you work on your own. It allows you to recognise your accomplishments, acknowledge mistakes and see them as lessons learnt and tools for self-improvement. It also encourages you to figure out what gives you passion and enjoyment.

 

 

 

 

Below are some questions you can use to reflect either individually or as a team. Add any more in which are relevant to you and write them down so that you can look back at them.

 

Questions to reflect back on 2020:

  • Where did you succeed? Celebrate your achievements and give credit to yourself or your team
  • Where did you fall short? Reflecting on the things that didn’t go so well is just as important as it allows you to consider how to do things differently next time
  • In which areas did you grow? Think about how you have grown (individually and as a business), whether that be personally or professionally and then consider how you can make the most of this
  • What is the most important lesson you learnt this year? This could be personally or professionally, as a team and individually
  • What new skills did you learn? And how can you use them?
  • What challenged you the most? And what did you learn from this challenge? How did you overcome it?
  • What did you do for your physical and mental health? How did this help?
  • What would you have done differently? And why?
  • What did you let go of? And how has this impacted you personally / professionally?
  • What did you learn about yourself this year?

 

Questions to look forward to 2021:

  • What are your goals for 2021? Set achievable targets for next years with dates to regularly check in on progress
  • What do you want to accomplish? Personally and professionally
  • What opportunities do you want to create? For yourself, your team and your business
  • What are you going to keep doing? Write a list of everything you are going to continue to do
  • What are you going to start doing? Write a list of anything you want to start doing
  • What are you going to stop doing? Write a list of things that you are going to stop doing – these are things that don’t provide a positive outcome  
  • What new skills do you want to learn? Professionally or personally
  • How will you take care of your mental and physical health? And how will you incorporate this into your daily routine?

 

 

Whilst 2020 has been taken over by the challenges bought on by the global pandemic, we can all still learn from those challenges that we have faced, individually and as a team. Perhaps this year has changed the way you look at things or shifted what is important to you, taking you in a direction you hadn’t considered before. Be as open-minded and honest with yourself as you can.

 

Here’s to a successful 2021!

 

If you want a detailed 90-day plan for yourself and your business, get in touch to see how we can support you set yourself up for a great new year!