As you can tell by all the tinsel, all the flashing fairy lights and all the inflatable Santa’s stuck to storefronts, another year is almost done and dusted. Hopefully, it has been a prosperous one full of ticks next to annual goals and revenue figures that will keep your bank manager smiling.
However, before you settle into a couple of weeks of total relaxation, there are a few little tasks that are well worth doing before the loud crash of fireworks ring out on New Year’s Eve and January 1st gets underway. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did these now because, if nothing else, they will help you get next year off to a flying start, and that momentum will make the following months a lot more productive.
Accounting Requires Some Attention
This is the time to tie up any unanswered questions and loop and swoop any loose ends. Go through your expenses one more time, make sure everything is entered properly, make sure you aren’t leaking money anywhere, check any anomalies or uncertainties and, basically, make sure everything is in order so that you can a) file accurate tax returns and b) better understand your company’s performance over the past twelve months.
Performance Needs A Thorough Review
With your financials done, dusted and checked, it is a wise idea to run through the facts and figures to see just how your company performed. Sit down with your accountant and look at the revenue generated, whether that be done by department, by client, by salesperson or whatever suits your business. It is also worth getting in touch with the people at http://www.xeretec.co.uk/services/print-audit and finding out how your organisation used its devices. The world has gone more and more tech-obsessed and knowing just how your tech was used will help you understand your performance better. Once you have done all of this, compare it to the goals you set out at the start of the year, see how it compared and work out what needs to be altered to make the coming year better.
Review Each Of Your Employees
Before we delve into this, we need to say that annual reviews only work if your employees are receiving additional feedback frequently throughout the year. Otherwise, the outcome will be negative. Nonetheless, having a big performance review at the end of the year is an essential. To make sure it is worth everyone’s time (and sanity), however, you need to measure their performances and accomplishments against very specific, unique and quantifiable goals. If you didn’t set these earlier in the year, by all means still hold a review, but know that it can only be done in a qualitative way.
Don’t Forget To Review Yourself Too
No one’s performance needs more attention than your own. You are the business leader. You are the one leading the rest, the person that makes the final decision, that steers the ship, that motivates and secures success. So, how did you do? Did you achieve your goals? Did you attend as many seminars as you said you would, or watch as many TED Talks as you promised, or read those books you found on https://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/ and subsequently added to your Amazon basket? By knowing where you succeeded, where you grew and where there is room for work, you will have a better platform to work from at the start of next year.
