How do you measure the impact of your work every day you leave home for work?
Remember, you cannot improve what you do not measure. You must set up mechanisms to measure your results so that you are able to monitor what worked and did not, and what to improve if any.
To create a habit, start with the desired outcomes. What are the top one or two outcomes that you must attain in your job? How do you measure your work daily to say you won or lost?
In sports, all players know what they must do to win or lose a game. And when they win, by scoring more goals than the other team, they easily see it. The same thing happens when they lose. It is all available and clear for all to see.
Look at your every working day as a game. Ask yourself; did I win or lose today? Have a mindset of the business owner so that you think long term and swift to save costs for long term growth.
Starting today, get a piece of paper and write top 5 activities that are productive and value-adding to the business that you must do consistently every day. Feel free to ask your supervisor or senior manager what activities such could be? Is it reviewing daily newspapers and writing a summary for a blog post to drive traffic to your enterprise website? Is it making a follow up to prospects and clients for an appointment to meet? Is it documenting a free template? Is it market intelligence about prospects so as to offer services they adore?
Once you decide on an activity, try to do it consistently for at least 30 days. They say 21 days of consistent repetition make a habit. So do not give up. Do it daily without fail. And the routine will become your habit. If it is growth-focused, you will win. Imagine having your habit as making tea immediately you arrive at the office, such habit is not business focused and it, therefore, a deadly one as it is not sustainable for business growth in the private sector which is competitive.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2019. All rights reserved
