Building trust and impact: The key learnings from 2019 worth taking into the new year

I made a big mental switch in 2019. If I commit to anything, I commit 1,000 per cent, and I won’t let go until it’s finished, or I need to update my objectives. It’s intense, and to be honest, it’s quite exhausting as well, but the pleasure of making progress is more significant.

Relentlessness also forces you to focus more and say no to random disturbances.

Also Read: These later stage funding rounds of December are the perfect closure to the year 2019

Stick to your strategy

Days, when your plans don’t work out, are the toughest. Sometimes your day is full of wrong decisions and outcomes. You might get insecure about your approach or need outside validation that you’re still on the right track.

The easiest thing to do on those days is to throw everything overboard and start something new or give up and tell yourself it didn’t work out. The biggest favour you can do yourself is to stick to your original strategy (unless clear feedback and data tell you to tweak the plan).

Why is this so important? It takes time for a strategy to come to fruition. Beginning of the year, we launched a new project within our firm. Halfway through the year, it wasn’t easy to convince our stakeholders that the timing for this project was right, coming out of a busy 2018.

Towards the end of the year, the project gained strong momentum, giving the team new energy. I have seen it with this project, but looking back, I have seen this happen over and over again.

Give your strategy a chance, build a case for your strategy, work on the right arguments and gather data to support your choices. But most importantly, don’t let the first, second, and third disappointment catch you off guard.

Face issues head-on

The toughest habit to build is to get up in the morning and pick up the most complicated problem to solve first. It’s such an open door. As a founder, leaving urgent or complex issues outstanding can seriously hurt your business. In the back of our heads, we know this, but it’s tough to put it in practice.

Also Read: e27 community: 10 most popular contributions of 2019

Cleaning up a toxic environment in the team, a client issue that needs solving, or responding to shareholders’ questions. I have learned earlier this year; it doesn’t matter how complex the problem is, it matters which framework you use and your understanding of the urgency. Managing urgency is different for everyone, but one effective practice helped me.

Every morning I write down what my intended outcome for the day needs to be and what I need to do to get there. Let me be clear. The day never ends the way I planned it, but this simple writing exercise helps me to visualise the biggest challenges for the day.

For the framework, I use the structure I worked on with my coach.

For anything complex I need to solve or work on, I ask myself these questions:

• How do I extract value and deliver returns for my counterpart
• Is there alignment with our strategy and policies
• How do I slow down to generate long term growth
• What do I need to do, to protect the downside

Say no and be transparent about it

It remains difficult saying no when people ask for help. Mainly when you’re used to helping others out. The intention is not to speak to anyone that asks for help but to be more critical on me.

Anytime someone asks for help, I ask myself first if I can help, if I can honestly make time and if someone is better off with or without my help. In the past year, I have learned that giving direction and let others figure things out for themselves is stronger than blindly trying to help everyone.

It is as simple as saying: “have you tried this yet?” You don’t have to be everything to everyone.

Also Read: From coffee to dentistry: The top 10 funding news that rocked the Southeast Asian startup ecosystem in 2019

Check-in on health

Everyone will have their take on health. There is no one right away to approach it. I decided to stop drinking for the last three months of 2019. Why? I spend a significant amount of my professional time on an aeroplane.

Combined with long working hours, my desire to stay fit, triathlons, family life (two kids), and spending time with friends, I felt I needed to change something before I wore my body and mind out. Quitting with alcohol seemed like a quick win, and after 2.5 months, it has indeed made me feel much better.

During the day, I feel much sharper, and it’s easier to focus. I also sleep a lot better; more hours and feel rested. Not drinking helped me recover faster after my runs or a long-haul flight. There is, however, a downside, though. Socially it’s not entirely accepted not to imbibe. In the last few months, I have had to explain myself for not drinking. Or people try to convince you to have a drink and not be such a weakling. The best I’ve heard is: “One drink doesn’t make much difference.” It makes all the difference to me; I am not about to break this promise to myself.

This was from 2019, and I hope my lessons help you give some insights for 2020.

We’re at the end of this millennium’s teens, how will you start the new decade?

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