Where is Your Business Heading in 2022?

Cathie Leimbach • January 4, 2022

You have likely thought about where you wish your business to head in 2022. But have you thought about HOW it is going to get there? 


A wish without a plan is just a dream.  Our default approach tends to be to continue doing what we have always done, which gets the same results as we have always been getting. If your wish is to achieve different results in 2022, it is necessary to be intentional about doing work differently.  


You may not see how you can take a day or two to develop a 2022 plan for your business.  However, spending a few hours to outline your business strategy for the year is essential if you really wish to achieve more during the 12 months ahead. 


First, write down how you will measure your business success this year. What dollar amount of revenue or profit are you aiming for? Choose an amount that balances your desire for growth with what is realistically possible.  You may wish to measure your success by the number of clients you retain or the number you gain. Employee morale or employee retention might be one of your success factors.  If you list several potential metrics, select the 1, 2, or 3 that you will focus on for the year. Achieving desired results requires us to focus on our priorities. If we give equal attention to more than three priorities, we dilute our energy and resources so much that we will be lucky to achieve even one of these important goals.


Second, review last year’s business practices and consider what you will continue and what changes would be beneficial.

  • Write down actions you will continue doing to support this year’s success. 
  • Jot down the actions you will stop doing, the things you did last year that hindered your success or won’t help you achieve the success you want in 2022.  For example, maybe you were spending five hours per week developing relationships in an industry you haven’t been serving. Despite your diligence, not only did you not get clients, you didn’t even get leads. It might be best for you to stop pursuing clients in that industry.
  • Jot down actions you will start doing. What new activities do you think could help you achieve your 2022 goals? For example, what industries are you currently serving well? In which of them is the market not saturated? Perhaps you should be devoting your relationship development efforts here.

 

Third, review your priority goals and the actions you think you might stop or start. Decide one, two, or three of these changes that could have significant impact on achieving your priority goals and are feasible to implement in your organization. Perhaps there is one thing you will stop doing and two things you will start doing.  Just as we dilute our efforts too much if we focus on more than three business results, we will have little success in changing our actions if we focus on changing our behavior in more than three areas. 

 

Fourth, determine how you will monitor your progress towards achieving your priority goals and making critical changes. Decide how and when you will report progress to your team.

 

Fifth, communicate your brief business plan to all members of your team. Share your one to three priority goals and your one to three areas of change. Most people are resistant to change so it is important to change just a few things at a time. Maintain stability for you and your team members by continuing with several of your most effective business practices from recent years.  Follow through with your monitoring and communication plan all year long so your team members see the benefits of doing the hard work involved with change and focusing on desired organizational goals.

 

Best wishes for 2022 to you and the work and people you lead!

Listening Is Key to Effective One-on-Ones

By Cathie Leimbach • September 15, 2026
Tom walked into his one-on-one feeling relieved. For a week, he had been struggling with two critical assignments. His supervisor had delegated them without much context, and Tom wasn’t clear about the desired results or how to get started. Surely, he thought, we can sort this out today. Fifteen minutes later, Tom walked back to his desk just as confused. His supervisor had done nearly all the talking—reviewing priorities, sharing updates, and reminding Tom that the two assignments were important. But he never asked the question Tom needed to hear: “What do you need from me to be successful?” When One-on-Ones Become One-Way Conversations This happens more often than we might think. Leaders enter one-on-ones with a list of things they need to communicate. They talk through the list, ask if there are any questions, and move on to the next meeting. But a one-on-one should do more than transfer information. Its purpose is to help the employee succeed. That requires conversation—and conversation requires listening. Ask what the employee wants to discuss. Listen for what is getting in the way. Do they need clearer expectations? More training? Better resources? Help making a decision? Encouragement that they are headed in the right direction? Then determine together what each of you will do next. Try This in Your Next One-on-One Instead of starting with your agenda, begin with one simple question: “What would be most helpful for us to talk about today?” Then listen. You may discover that the most valuable thing you contribute to the meeting isn’t what you say. It’s what you learn. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ If this has you thinking about the conversations you have with your team, join me at the Workplace Conversation Clinic on September 21 . Bring a question about your one-on-ones or a conversation you’re finding difficult, and let’s work through it together. RESERVE YOUR SPOT HERE

Are you Supporting Your Employees to Overcome Hurdles?

By Cathie Leimbach • September 8, 2026
For weeks, Mary had been frustrated with frequently occurring delays in shipping. During her one-on-one with her supervisor, she finally told him what was going on. He listened, asked questions, and said he would look into it. She left the meeting feeling encouraged. Maybe this situation would finally get resolved. A week later, her supervisor started their one-on-one by asking “So, what do you want to talk about today?” He didn’t mention what he had learned about the problem in shipping. “Of course not!,” she thought. “Nothing is going to change.” So, she sadly replied, “Nothing really. Everything’s fine.” Sometimes employees stop talking because experience has taught them that speaking up doesn’t make any difference. One-on-ones are an opportunity to change that. Give the employee a voice in what gets discussed. Help them address bottlenecks. Follow-up on your to dos from the conversation. It can be as simple as: “Last week we talked about the shipping problem. I checked into it, and here’s what I found out. A possible solution would be this .... How do think that might work? ... What other ideas do you have?” The message is clear: I heard you. I remembered. What you have to say matters. And when employees believe their concerns and ideas matter, they’re more likely to keep speaking up. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ What Workplace Conversation Are You Struggling With? Maybe an employee has stopped talking. Maybe you’re dealing with accountability, conflict, attendance, performance—or simply a conversation you’re not quite sure how to approach. Bring it to the FREE Workplace Conversations Clinic on September 21. Join Cathie Leimbach and other leaders to talk through real workplace people challenges, hear different perspectives, and get ideas for moving forward. Register Here