THE TUESDAY BUSINESS CORNER :

When a child first learns to ride a bike, they tend to look at their feet rather than the road ahead.  Which means they tend to fall off.

Similarly, first-time skiers can often look at their feet instead of keeping their head up.

And when you’re driving and you think you’re about to skid into a wall, you’ve a better chance of avoiding it if you look at the road you want to drive down, rather than the wall you’re dreading crashing into.

In other words, it’s essential to focus on the right thing (after all, when you focus on the wrong, it’s more likely to happen).

So, as 2013 approaches, are you focusing on the right thing?  What are you expecting?  What do your colleagues think you’re expecting?

If you communicate “my focus is on survival”, the best you’ll get – unless you are very lucky – is survival.

If you’re thinking “2013 is the year we consolidate”, the best you’ll get could well be consolidation.

But when you communicate “2013 will be better than 2012 because …”, it helps build your – and your colleagues’ – certainty you’ll have a good year.

Of course, I’m not advocating being naively overly optimistic.  But it’s important that you convey the right messages with everything you communicate.

As we all know, you don’t always get what you deserve in life.  But you often get what you expect.

So, what positives are you expecting will happen next year?

And how can you communicate to help ensure they do?

Action point

Review your end-2012/start-2013 communications.  Are they positive enough? Do they help build certainty that next year will be better than this one?

Identify at least 1-2 changes that will improve the impact they – and you – have on others.

Know people who'd benefit from reading this Tip? Please forward it on, and introduce them to our Blog :)   

Written by NativeEnglish

Native English Spain is dedicated to make learning English simple, fun and affordable for Spanish people.