My Four Resolutions For 2008

This is New Year’s Eve. This morning as I laid out my Tuxedo in anticipation of the New Year’s Eve party my wife and I will be attending this evening, it seemed like just a couple of weeks ago that I was doing the same thing for the same reason; I was reminded of the words of the old song, “Ain’t It Funny, How Time Slips Away.”

Not only is this the time of year that as we get older it seems like New Year’s Eve whiz’s by faster than telephone poles along a highway when driving 75 miles per hour, but it is also a time for us to come up with resolutions. Here are four that I want to share with you and encourage you to adapt for your own use.

First, remember what Carl Sandberg wrote, “The past is a bucket of ashes” which means that when we spend too much time messing with what we regret about not finishing or not accomplishing last year about all we get is a very fine, gray coating of burned yesterdays all over us. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to learn from our mistakes, our miscalculations and our missed opportunities. It does mean that once we have reanalyzed our mistakes, revisited our miscalculations and reviewed our missed opportunities that we listen to our new found wisdom, lift the lessons we’ve learned and light our future with greater insight. In other words, rather than live in the past of regret and self-depreciation we should resolve to fix what can be fixed and focus on the future and Live In And For That Future.

Second, based on the first resolution, we should resolve to become a more influential member of our community and profession. Someone once said that experience is the best teacher. Who are those individuals that have had the greatest influence on your life? If you are like most people, the answer is those individuals who have shared the lessons of life and business that they have learned from experience. I once read that people admire those who speak academically, based on their education but that folks follow people who speak from their experience. Someone else added that when it came to mistakes the best teacher is someone else’s experience. Without sounding like a know-it-all, find ways to share in a positive way the things you’ve learned from your life and career experiences, you will be surprised how many people will gravitate to you (this is called creating centers of mutual influence).

Third, resolve to learn how to fight the good fight! I know we are supposed to have moved beyond such things and that using words like “fight” in any context isn’t politically correct. I heard an academic from an Ivy League business school espousing the idea that competition in business was wrong and all professions and businesses should consider themselves comrades and colleagues in working toward the greater good (his words, not mine). While this idealistic view of life and business paints a petty picture, it isn’t a picture of reality. Sure, it would be nice if we all could “just get along” but there are times when we must be willing to compete and compete hard not only to maintain our place in the market but also to survive. Notice, I said “fight the good fight.” This means picking our battles (no matter how great your idea for a revolutionary new computer or operating system, you don’t take on IBM or Microsoft unless you’ve got what it takes to win, instead you avoid head to head competition with them until you’ve established your niche). In addition, it means analyzing your core competencies in order to identify areas you can immediately compete in and areas that need to be strengthened. “Fighting the good fight” also means becoming innovative in your industry. Many years ago, a bank president friend of mine announced an unheard of innovation in personal banking—Absolutely Free Checking. Competitors scoffed and said it would ruin his bank, today free checking is almost the norm. As many of you know, I am what’s known as a “headhunter” and last month, I announced to the press that in 2008, Hidde Career Services would be offering a 12 month replacement guarantee on most of our management candidates (of course, like free checking, there are conditions). The response from the business community has been positive, while that from some in my field has been similar to the one my banker friend received from other bankers. Finally, “fighting the good fight” means knowing when to retreat so we can retrench in order to respond to unexpected events.

Four, resolve to have high expectations of yourself and the results you produce in your career. Many years ago, an old friend (who has long passed from this world), who lead a large organization was asked the secret of his success. His reply was, “I head two organizations, the one that I see on paper and face to face everyday, and the one I plan to head in six months. The secret of success,” he said, “is to always live in the expectant future with your feet firmly planted in the realities of today.” What do you expect from your career or your business next year? Remember those wise words of Charles Kettering, who co-founded the company that, after being sold became the foundation for General Motors Research Corporation of which he served as vice president for 27 years, “High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.”

Now that I’ve given you my only resolutions for 2008, I’d love to hear about some of your 2008 resolutions. If you’d like to share a few, email them to me (should I use them in upcoming columns, I won’t use your name.)

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve, may your favorite teams win their bowl games (as long as they aren’t playing one of my favorite teams) and resolve to have a bigger, better and more profitable year in 2008!
Robert Hidde
bob@confidentliving.com