2017 has come and gone. It is a new year. A time when many reflect back and resolve to improve the quality of their lives this orbit around the sun. Here at Scisters, it’s an ongoing process. Continuous Improvement is one of our Core Values. We define it as, “Striving to always be developing into greatness”. The purpose of business is profit and growth, but this is just the hard outer shell of things. Each company is made up of individuals. If these people are not growing, chances are, neither is your bottom line.

So, it’s January, time to take a look back at what our employees and ourselves as owners accomplished and resolved. It’s also a time to be honest about where we fell short. We meet with our staff bi-annually to cover the numerical and statistical, but we also have a strong focus on character building. Over the next few weeks our team will each give thought to their strengths and growth opportunities. We ask them to put it on paper, along with 2 personal and 2 professional goals for 6 months, 1 year, and long term. Melissa and I do the same ourselves. Then we meet with each person privately.

I thought I hated math, until I became a business owner. I realized that so much of what I wanted to achieve could be solved mathematically. Does one of my staff members want a new car or to be able to send their child to private school as a single mother? “Let’s sit down and crunch the numbers together. How much more do you need to bring home to get you there? Here are some of the ways you can personally grow in order to earn that amount.”

I take a copy of each person’s goals and create a vision board for them every 6 months. They are displayed in our little break room for everyone to see. We root for each other throughout the year. I had a couple great conversations with my girls coming to the close of 2017. Some of them who were elated that they had checked off all the to-do’s on their vision board. Others, who came to me reflecting on what stood in their way of achieving their goals and how they are going to persist.

I love personal development, always have. It is one of the threads that tie Melissa and I to each other. She once said it’s her hobby. I also believe it it one of our strengths as leaders. You have to be adaptable. I read something this morning to the affect of, “The new year means nothing if you’re still in love with your comfort zone”. It’s maybe a little harsh, but so true for me.

Last year, as I wrote in previous posts, my theme for the year was simplicity. I created simple goals and I’m happy to say that I hit most of them. This year it’s alignment. I want to focus on aligning my actions with my intentions. I’d like to be personally aligned before taking on a new project, so that the work I produce is more meaningful, valuable, and flows more easily. Here’s to a new year of whatever we make it. I look forward to chatting with you about the growth in your lives this year.

Truly-

Easton Bajsec