Your (and My) Year in Review

Here's a set of year-in-review questions from Steve Kennedy, Entrepreneur/Coach* and one of my former clients:

2005 year in review

The end of the year is a great time to look back over 2005 and review what you have accomplished. It helps to ask yourself some questions to get you thinking. Journals are helpful as they remind you of how much you really accomplished in the last 12 months. If you don't keep a journal and you work with a coach you can look over your notes or coaching prep forms or have a review session with your coach. After this exercise planning next year seems easy. HAVE A GREAT 2006!

1. What were some of the things I learned in 2005? What was my greatest lesson?

beezee writes: Professionally, the greatest lesson for me was the power of having three main business development (BizD) engines all working in harmony. For those interested, my three have been:

• The Internet - My website placement on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN has been quite powerful - especially for my most important keyword search phrases.
• Writing/Interviews - Articles I've written that were published in various on-line and print journals of the American Society of Training and Development, TheLadders.com, the Wall Street Technology Association's Ticker magazine, and across various blogshperes, have raised my visibility considerably. So, too, have interviews with HR Magazine, the Washington Post (twice), the Chicago Sun-Times, the Indianapolis Star, and Better Homes & Gardens.
• Referrals/Returning Clients - Thanks to all who have sent me new clients, or who, as former clients, returned for additional coaching. It's very gratifying how this part of my BizD efforts continues to develop.  

2. What were my accomplishments in 2005?

beezee: My biggest accomplishment in 2005 was filling my coaching practice to the brim and creating a waiting list that now has a half-dozen people on it. Too, coaching people across the U.S. and Canada, in France, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia - even Saudi Arabia - was/is waaaay cool.

3. What was my greatest challenge, and how did I work with it?

beezee: I don't know if it was my 'greatest' challenge, but keeping time zone conversions straight was certainly a 'recurring' challenge for me in 2005. Inevitably - and embarrassingly - I'd schedule someone to call me at a certain time (in their time zone) and then  mess up the conversion to MY time zone when posting it in Outlook. Sheesh! Ultimately, I learned to have them tell me what time that'd be in MY time zone (US Central Time) so I could put it correctly in my calendar. (Thanks again Tom, and Kat, and Gabi, and Andy, and  Mary, and Joan, and everyone else!)

4. What would I do differently?

beezee: With respect to the time zone thing? More practice, I guess. (Is that too obvious of a <wink> to you international readers out there?!) 

5. What were the most significant events of 2005 for me personally?

beezee: I'll leave this for a separate conversation.

6. What do I feel especially good about?

beezee: That I get to wake up every morning and coach. That I have a vibrant community of friends. That I have a family that loves me. That our dog is trained to go outside, do her business and come back in, without me having to out into Chicago's sub-zero wind-chilled weather to walk her.

7. What was my greatest contribution?

beezee: There are a lot of people out there who are more focused, more confident, and more successful as a direct result of working with me, and I think that just rocks! 

8. What fun things did I do in 2005?

beezee: Oh, so many. It was a great year all-around.

9. What possibilities can I see for myself now - that wasn't clear before?

beezee: I see that there are a lot of ideas and information that I have readily available to me that others do not and that they might benefit from me providing such things for them to read and review independent of any coaching I may or may not do with them.

10. What am I most grateful for?

beezee: see #6.

11. How would I rate this year in terms of happiness?

beezee: It was a "Spinal Tap" kind of year for me - an eleven!

12. What would make 2006 a 10 on your happiness scale?

beezee: More of same, only one louder! 

Those are my answers. Now what are yours?!

* If you'd like to contact Steve Kennedy directly, here's how:  Steve@WinningTheGameofBusiness.com; 978-815-0484;  www.WinningTheGameOfBusiness.com. Please be sure to let him know I sent you. Thanks!