2016: Not the Same Auld Lang Syne for Willory

It’s that time of year when everyone is thinking about, or more likely breaking their resolutions for 2016. And while you can look at this list as my resolutions for Willory in the coming year, I really want it to be more than that. These are promises to our clients, candidates, partners, friends, and most importantly, my team. It is by following these objectives and committing to the reasons behind them that Willory is poised to have an incredible year.

In the last few months I’ve learned that starting a business was actually easier in many ways than having a company that is five years in (we just celebrated our fifth anniversary). So I am approaching our business in an even more strategic fashion, if that is possible. But to take Willory to the next level, it has to be done. I’m working on a three-year plan that is going to be a strong, leading document for our future. I’m sharing my own goals in hopes that they both give you insights into our business but because they may be helpful in forming your own.

1. CLARITY across entire organization regarding the objectives and focus of the company, departments, team members, service offering, branding and positions. With awesome growth, come some growing pains. As we’ve expanded we’ve found that at times we’re not being consistent or clear about what our key objectives are and who is responsible for certain areas.

2. DEFINE all business processes and clearly set expectations team members and departments to ensure ACCOUNTABILITY. This is integral to the ongoing success of Willory. We’ve been working incredibly hard to document our standard operating procedures. It hasn’t been an easy task, but it allows everyone to understand the expectations of their coworkers. It also allows us to have the processes available in case the person who normally handles a responsibility is not available. It’s a taxing process, but one we recommend all organizations do.

3. TRAIN team members to exceed their personal, position, and department objectives. I want my team members to excel where they want. Each year we follow a careful process of analyzing career and personal ambitions and setting attainable and important goals. It is those goals that help me understand where they see themselves in a year and what they’re envisioning for Willory. I encourage my employees to participate in their trade organizations, obtain relevant certifications, and improve their personal lives.

4. Being FOCUSED about what we do every single day along with our team members’ expertise in their field. We’ve been working very hard to ensure we have the right people doing the right things. While it’s easy for small organizations to have employees doing many different things, I believe that by aligning people to their expertise that we allow each person to flourish. It is our culture that makes us successful.

Our growth through clarity, definition, training, focus and accountability will leverage our fun and flexible work environment to ensure all of us at Willory are positively obsessed about our clients in an effort to become an extension of their business. It is our culture that makes us successful. It is our people who make our culture so great.

I want to leave you with this: If you want to make a change you have to invest the time and energy. Do not expect anything to change for the better without investing in yourself.