1. Remember that people, not product or service is what matters. I’ve seen too many mission statements in large and small companies that talk about the importance of their customers and employees. Posting it on the wall is a good idea; embracing it as a value is even better.
2. Find something to stop doing before you add any more tasks. This is just as important in your private life as it is in your public life. There are limits, don’t exceed them.
3. Continually add value to your customers and they will keep coming back. Most of us intuitively know that the cost of acquiring new customers is much greater than the cost of retaining them. Add value and the ‘be-backs’ will be back!
4. Work on your communication skills. Continuous improvement is the key to leaning how to communicate. That includes not only the way we speak and share information but also the tools we use. Keep email short, learn how to use social media properly, listen more and speak less.
5. Be thankful. While there is typically something we can complain about, our problems are minuscule compared to the blessings that we have received. Your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers will all respond positively to a thankful attitude. It’s good for your health too!
These are just five resolutions, and they may not be the right five for you, but they have worked for me. I find that I need to continually renew the resolutions from the past years, as some are just too important to forget.
If you need to lose weight, stop drinking, spend more time with your family, read the Bible more often or get out of debt, feel free to create that list as well. Then, make sure you don’t need to renew those resolutions in 2016.
Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
