While recent economic reports and certain trends offer a glimmer of hope for an improved economy on the horizon, most agree that any recovery will likely be slow and modest in the near term. As we continue to dig in and keep forging ahead during these challenging times, I’d like to offer 5 quick tips to possibly assist you in getting 2011 off to a great start. While there are certainly a variety of other factors and strategies to consider, it’s my sincere hope that these 5 areas will prove beneficial.
- Strive For Excellence – a tough economy generally translates into more competition going after a smaller pool of opportunities. To give yourself the best possible chance for success in an increasingly competitive environment you must strive to be the very best in your chosen field or industry. Doing just enough simply isn’t enough. Go the extra mile. Doing just enough will leave you on the outside looking in. Those individuals and organizations that push themselves to higher levels of achievement, higher levels of customer service, and higher performance standards will have a distinct advantage over their competitors.
- Seek Out Strategic Partnerships – as resources (both financial and human) are constrained in a tough economy, those individuals and organizations that leverage the resources of key strategic alliances and partnerships will have a distinct advantage in the marketplace. On your own, you or your organization may not have the capacity to take on larger, more complex assignments that require additional capital and new staff. The right partnership however, can allow two organizations to collectively take on an assignment that neither could accomplish on their own.
- Get Connected To The Action – in short, get involved! There are a host of conferences, networking events, and new technology forums taking place on a regular basis where business deals and new relationships are occurring every day. Be strategic about which events and activities you attend, but I highly recommend getting away from the office from time to time to make sure you are getting some necessary “face time” with key players in your chosen industry.
- Take On The Tough Assignments – there’s an old saying that goes “if it was easy everybody would do it”. To continue to create opportunity for yourself in this economy, you must be willing to push yourself past your historical boundaries and take on more complex and challenging work. It is of course not easy so everybody won’t do it, but for those that decide to tackle “the tough stuff” they will find themselves with increasingly less competition and greater opportunities.
- Focus Your Efforts – to insure you gain and maintain a competitive advantage in this economy, you must be precise about your activities and focus on your highest priorities. In short, you are going to have to learn to say “no” far more often than you would like to. This is often a tremendous challenge due to the array of important and meaningful efforts to take on and get involved with, but if there was ever a time to stay focused on your primary objectives, that time is now.
While the above tips are but a snapshot of ideas for consideration, I hope that a few of these may assist you in helping to shape a fantastic New Year in 2011!
Darrin is Chief Economic Inclusion Officer of JumpStart and President of JumpStart Inclusion Advisors. He founded and ran his own strategic planning and management assistance firm and spent 16 years in the commercial banking and finance industry. Darrin has an MBA from Baldwin-Wallace College and an undergraduate degree from Mount Union College. He has led a series of workshops and seminars on matters of economic development and diversity.