Plan for a strong finish

Planning on being a strong finisher will help with a fresh and strong start for next year. POLLYANNA LENKIC

By Pollyanna Lenkic

Being a strong finisher is an attitude and requires that you look at and review habits that you currently run. Habits can be tough to break, and a habit I have worked on from the past is breaking the burn-the-midnight-oil-before-I-take-a-break habit.

Back then the only time my intray and inbox were empty was when I rushed out the office door way too late to run home and pack my suitcase, falling into bed only to board a plane the next day exhausted with an over or under packed bag.

Take time now to reflect back over the past year, what is your habit?

• Do you work late into the night trying to get everything done so you can get away?
• Do you spend most of your break tying up loose ends?
• What does your current habit give you? Is it worth having?
• Would taking some time to do even a small amount of planning help?
• Do you choose to not take a break at all?

Remember to replace the habit you want to rid yourself of with another habit for it to be effective and lasting.

Tips for being a strong finisher:

• Who do you need to thank? Thank them by acknowledging who they are being rather than by complimenting their actions. By first acknowledging who they are followed by what they did will have a lasting impression and be meaningful to them. Example: You are such a courageous person and your commitment has really shone through, thank you for ………. this has (mention the impact this has had on you and the business).
• Tidy up your emails. Delete or action. Look at the email lists that you are on and unsubscribe from the ones you do not read.
• Go through your list of clients/contacts. Who are the people that you want to connect with before the year ends? Who do you want to thank? What are you thanking them for? What can you acknowledge them for?
• Write down all the outstanding tasks that need to be done and prioritise them, estimate how much time each task will take. Once you have prioritised do a reality check. Do I need to complete these and can I realistically complete the tasks? Create a timeline of tasks and how long it will take. Look through your time line and apply my three D’s process: Do, Dump or Delegate.
• Visualise yourself leaving the office for the last time before Christmas feeling great because you are able to enjoy your break without interruption or stress. How does this feel? What have you done that has enabled you to leave feeling like this?
• Watch this video link on finishing strong for extra motivation.

Pollyanna Lenkic is the founder of Perspectives Coaching, an Australian based coaching and training company. She is an experienced facilitator, certified coach and a certified practitioner of NLP. In 1990 she co-founded a specialist IT recruitment consultancy in London, which grew to employ 18 people and turnover £11 million ($27 million). This blog is about the mistakes she made and the lessons she learned building a business the first time round and how to do it better second time round. For more information go to www.perspectivescoaching.com.au

For more Second Time Around, click here.