Chad Stuckey

The end of the year is a very busy time for leaders. On top of the holiday festivities, there are a ton of business activities that have to be finished in order to wrap up the year.

And, as businesses drive toward the end of the year, it’s natural to look back and assess your organization’s performance–taking a closer look at metrics, processes, and milestones.

As leaders, we can often find ourselves caught up in the busyness of the season, evaluating our performance and setting the table for the coming year—all to do it all over again. Only to miss the lasting lessons learned in the past 12 months.

Here are a few of the lessons I learned after forcing myself to take a breath and review our efforts:

The Numbers Are Only Part of the Equation

Yes. It’s important to measure performance and progress. If you don’t keep an eye on the numbers, some pretty unwanted surprises can sneak up on you. But it’s also important to realize the numbers tend to be lagging indicators of performance. They tell an impartial but incomplete story. Culture completes the picture of performance. Engaging with your team, knowing how they are feeling, listening to their concerns, and sharing information as you have it—all of those things help craft the complete picture of performance.

The numbers might say there is room for improvement, but if the team is unified, engaged, and motivated, the impact of those lower metrics will be short-lived. And on the other hand, if the numbers show great success, but there is a cloud hanging over your team’s head, any financial upswing will have a short shelf life. Watch the numbers, but see your team.

Practice What You Preach

Believe in your product enough to be your own customer. Very true when your organization makes a product. How in the world can you make it, promote it, and sell it and not even use it?

This is especially true in the consulting world. It’s amazing how many organizations do not listen to or put into practice the advice they are so confident to sell to their clients.

We did a rebrand this year. It was earlier than I would have liked. But the same signs we share with our clients as reasons to rebrand were present in our own organization. So, we took a bit of our own medicine.

When we did that, we got the chance to experience what our clients feel when going through a rebrand. The inconvenience, questions, concerns, etc. That sure allowed us to be more empathetic and even make our product/process better! Ask yourself, is what I’m offering worth the check I’m asking them to write?

Losing Is a Part of Winning

I’m very competitive. So is my team. When we go after new business, we pour our hearts into the effort. We completely believe we can help the companies that are looking to improve their brands. So, when we lose opportunities, it hurts. No other way to say it.

There is a part of you that has been invested, extended, and ultimately rejected. But I have learned that losing is a part of winning. With every missed opportunity, we learn which engagements and clients fit us best. We also learn to evaluate our approach. What can we do to improve the way we show our potential partners that we are uniquely suited to solve their problems? This lesson doesn’t make the loss hurt less, but it does make the victories feel so much better because we applied what we learned—and it turned into a win. I’m so glad we have a culture of winning vs. whining.

The Cost of Giving Is Worth It

Obviously, it’s important to make money. That’s why we do what we do. But I was reminded this year—arguably a tough season in business—it’s so important to be generous. Giving to others incurs costs. Whether it was giving our time to college students wanting to learn more about our business, donating our expertise to non-profits looking to help others more, offering our advice to those starting businesses, or even giving literal donations to organizations helping our community. All of those acts of generosity result in a very real cost to the firm in terms of time and resources.

But every one of those things is worth it. It is amazing to see how a little generosity can impact people. Investing in people, organizations that help people, and in our community makes an impact and lasts longer than any paycheck. And, personally, I am more interested in using this little agency to touch lives than I am in winning one more award or in squeezing out a little more profitability. And I am so proud to lead a team that shares the same perspective on ROI.

Working Together Is Good, Winning Together Is Great

The last thing I learned this year is how good it is to work with people on the same page. When a team shares mission, vision, and values, you feel like you can tackle any challenge. And, you can do it without fear of resistance. That doesn’t mean it always goes smoothly, but when there is unity, disagreement is aimed at solving a problem, not at individual drama.

That's a fantastic feeling. When that same team, sharing the same vision, overcomes a challenge, the shared success is even more rewarding. Solving a client's problem, crafting the perfect brand message, delivering measurable results, winning a new client…together…priceless.