I always look forward to the last week of the year. The “break” between Christmas and New Years is a time that I use to reflect on the previous year and plan for the next. The flip of the calendar, from December to January signifies a fresh start, a new beginning. In the document management business, it also includes working to complete ongoing projects and preparing for new ones.
I organize the files on my laptop by category and year. As an example, under the “Sales” folder I will include a subfolder with each salespersons’ name and then have another subfolder titled “Proposals” and yet another subfolder for each year. At the start of the year, the new year’s folder will be empty. But, by the end of the year it will be filled with a variety of subfolders listing the names of each prospect we have provided a proposal to. When I review this folder in December, it represents the hard work that was completed, the successes that we had, and the misses that we encountered. It also demonstrates an immense amount of accumulated knowledge in helping to solve the unique document management and process problems that our clients have.
Creating the new folder for 2018 signifies a fresh start, but it also brings on some trepidation. Will next year be as successful as the previous? How will we meet our new goals? Will there be as many companies looking for document management and workflow solutions as in the past? Will the manufacturers we align ourselves with, such as FileBound and PSIGEN, continue to innovate and provide relevant solutions that are dependable and efficient.
The reflection goes beyond others and includes me and our company. Are we doing everything we can to grow and provide meaningful solutions? Are we keeping pace with technology and delivering sound solutions that make a difference? Do we give the type of support that is required for the mission critical applications we provide? In what ways are we making ourselves indispensable to our clients?
Something that comforts me this year, is that as an organization, we continue to learn, grow and prepare to be better. For me, this involves observing both the personal, and professional growth of our employees. It also includes adding new individuals to the company who bring fresh ideas and question the status quo. Then there are the metrics, the measuring sticks that we review as a group on a weekly basis. The “Quarterly Rocks” that we set and provide a rudder when it can be seemingly difficult to keep our head above water.
So here is the takeaway. Let’s all start anew in 2018. We all need to challenge ourselves to learn, accept, change and improve. This includes me, our employees, our manufacturers and distributors. We live in an ever-changing world that can sometimes seem overwhelming. Just remember that all of us can make a difference. Let’s plan on making that difference in 2018.
Jack Arnston is a Principal at The Priton Group. He can be reached at jarnston@pritongroup.com.