I love beginning a new year and always have. It’s so invigorating to feel as though you have a fresh start. I’m always energized, both professionally and personally. Sometimes you have things on your to do list and you never quit get around to doing them. Starting the new year allows you to re-evaluate your to do list, making a real point to prioritize and work hard to make sure the important things get accomplished.
Professionally and personally it’s a good time to “clean house” and organize desks, closets, files, etc. I always spend January performing audits on monthly bills and expenses, making sure that charges are accurate and that I’m actually utilizing what we are being billed for. This year especially, I’ve spent some time determining those costs that might be considered unnecessary and can be eliminated or items that can be renegotiated in a more advantageous way.
I believe that cash will be king for the next several years and we’ve made resolutions to contribute more towards savings, for both the company and personally. I want to work harder this year to teach my children the value of a dollar and reinforce how important developing a strong work ethic is for a lifetime of success. I am also committed to spend less time electronically communicating and more time face to face. We want that attitude to carry over to our client relationships and we want to spend more time working on relationship building and networking.
At the office, each manager presents a 2010 plan including revenue goals, marketing goals, staff growth, etc. It’s documented and we refer to the plan throughout the year, again to ensure we don’t get sidetracked from our original goals and all remain on the same page.
In 2009 many lessons were learned. Nothing is forever or a sure thing. We absolutely can adjust to things we might not have believed possible. We need to go back to the basics, develop an attitude of gratitude and work harder than ever before. The business community is recovering, we see growing signs of it every day but it will be at a slow pace and the change in our lifestyle and attitude may be a long term necessity.
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I've enjoyed reading about firstPRO and your accolades, especially being a female-run company. After reading several articles regarding your views on traditional business practices, most importantly, professionalism in the workplace, I was prompted to contact the corporate office to see if there may be open positions for either sales or recruiting in the Executive Search arena. I was so impressed by your ideas of proper dress, dealing with prospective candidates, along with everyday manners that have long been lost in most business environments.
ReplyDeleteNot to go into detail regarding my extensive experience, but I've also been a champion for these initiatives and couldn't believe I had come upon a company that shared my views. Was I ever surprised after attempting to contact three sources at firstPRO and never receiving a call back. This is exactly why recruiting firms have a bad reputation - lack of common courtesy, and I've experienced it, first-hand, from this organization.
If this is what a female-run business behaves like, I don't want to have anything to do with them. As I discussed with colleagues and friends that are top-level consultants, this is what gives the industry a bad name, and I'm on the receiving end this time. It appears that behavior doesn't quite match up with ideas or verbal rhetoric, a semblance of the current administration in DC.
At least I have saved some the effort of wasting their time and never contacting this firm for inquiries regarding open positions. There are too many agencies out there to be fooled by this facade of "professionalism".