By: Granger Forson owner of BizSmart®Gloucestershire 

With 2022 now truly underway, if you haven’t already, it’s crucial to review and reflect on the past 12 months and to remember the joy in business in 2021, whether you onboarded an exciting new client, launched a new product or service after a lot of work, or your team excelled and achieved a business goal on their own. 

It’s also a good opportunity to think about plans for this year and how you will fulfil them to give your business the best chances of success. 

Here are 5 secrets to add to your planning to find business joy. 

1.Define and understand your values

To build a strong business you must have clearly defined core values and a company culture that reflects them. Take the time to establish the beliefs, philosophies and principles that will drive your business forward in 2022 and beyond, and then demonstrate to your team how they can practically follow the values week by week. 

Not only will this give your team a sense of responsibility, but it will also ensure each of your employees stay accountable for the decisions they make by asking themselves the simple question: does this reflect our values?

2.Review your products and services

As well as reviewing your business values, it’s important to evaluate what your business actually does – your core activities, products and services. Consider what makes them successful, how they can be improved and whether there is scope for you to develop a new product or service to enhance your offering and better cater for your customers’ needs. 

Also take the time to think about which products or services aren’t performing as planned and why this might be. Is your business spread too thin? If so, how can you focus? By taking a step back and asking yourself these questions, you can reconnect with your business’ purpose and ensure you have a clear direction. 

3.Find a rhythm that reflects your business’ needs

Every business has its own rhythm, whether it’s for meetings, goals, budgetary cycles or communication frequency, and it’s crucial to ensure yours reflects your business’ needs. 

Whilst some businesses might perform best following a monthly rhythm, yours might need a 90-day rhythm to build alignment and achieve optimal efficiency, both in terms of performance development and goal setting. 

If you’re looking to scale up in 2022, getting the right rhythm in place now is vital, but remember, for any business rhythm to work, everyone needs to feel the beat and stay in time. Therefore, make sure your team are fully on board and your goals are all in sync. 

4.Become a coach to your people

To cultivate employees who eventually will work autonomously, you need to become a great mentor or ‘coach’, and consistently challenge your people to think and grow so they can surpass their own expectations, and yours. 

Give your staff the knowledge that allowed you to succeed and encourage them to step outside of their comfort zones and try new approaches and strategies. 

After all, if your employees stick with what feels easiest or most comfortable for too long, they are more likely to become complacent and avoid tasks that will help them reach their full potential, ultimately holding your business back, too. 

5.Take a day to reflect and celebrate with your team

Take one whole day with your team to stop, celebrate, reflect, listen and plan the goals to make 2022 the best year yet. Focus on making your business:better,faster, more cost effective. 

You may want to use this time to get each of the managers to say three positive things, or to share their hopes and ambitions for the year to come. 

By creating an open forum and highlighting successes, you will give all your employees a sense of positive achievement and the feeling that what they’ve done has made a difference, and will, in turn, make them more aligned with your plans for the future. 

Conclusion 

Despite the many challenges businesses have faced in the last two years, 2022 can be a year filled with ‘business joy’ if you take the time now to reflect and set out a clear plan of action. 

By engaging your team and working together to clearly define your business’ values, identify areas for improvement and find your business rhythm, you can ensure this year is one to remember for all the right reasons.