The Year is off to a Fast Start

by Nancy Vepraskas  - February 9, 2021

It’s time to make the critical shift from leading the business by yourself to leading an organization of people. At P2Excellence, we help you navigate the uncharted territories of organizational growth with clarity and confidence.

The year is off to a fast start with this big COVID drag still creating tension and uncertainty. Everyone I speak to is COVID weary. But we move forward with grace and tenacity. Because, what else is there to do?

This month we continue with our series on Taking It to the Next Level. As you know, P2Excellence is committed to taking your business to the next level. And that starts with you. In this series we have turned our focus to re-grounding you and your performance. Deeper roots create agility and resilience. So we will say every month this season: Concentrate on how you create value, how you communicate your value and how you stay focused on the right things – the right things measured by your boss, your company, and your company’s stakeholders.

In the article You Owe it to Yourself to be Successful, Anne Warren and I are asking you to reflect on your priority work assignments, which are the real reason why you are employed. Think of it in these terms: If you left your job today, what are the specifics of your role that your boss would need to replace to make sure those tasks or assignments happen on-time, with expected levels of quality, and without any drama or fuss?

Last month we suggested you form a circle of chairs and then sit in yours, and then your boss’s, and then a peer’s, and then your boss’s boss. Let’s try that again. What would your boss say is the specific work he requires (needs the most) from you? What does your boss think they are paying you to do? Would they say your work is stellar? Do they think you would be hard to replace?

I ask this because we often focus on what ‘we’ need or what we think ‘we’ deserve. Of course that is important, but we need to balance our needs and wants with those of the marketplace. Here’s our chance to do that. Let me know what you think. I would love to hear your comments on this.

HEART OF WINTER, SOUL OF SPRING

On a personal note, many years ago when my father was dying, I cross stitched a picture of a simple tree. The quote I stitched read, “The Song that lives during the Heart of Winter becomes the Soul of Spring.” I kept that picture in my bedroom as a reminder of the love my Dad and I shared. But this week, I moved the picture to my office. I felt I needed the reminder that in this season, my song/your song/our song lives. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” espoused our American prophet Martin Luther King, Jr.

Spring is coming. Our song will live. It will be a better song and collectively we will become the beautiful Soul of Spring. I am counting on it – you and me – together, singing in harmony! Courage up, kindness flowing, masks on, and laughing! We need more laughing!

Take care. You matter to me!

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Nancy Vepraskas

Nancy Vepraskas is a recognized expert in leadership performance, employee engagement, and culture building. Specializing in the people side of business, Nancy guides leaders in activating change, optimizing talent, and improving processes and strategies to achieve business goals. The results include happier, more motivated employees; heightened customer commitment; and improved bottom-line performance.

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