You're 60 Days In. What's Actually Changed?

60 days have passed since the beginning of the year. March is upon us. We’re zeroing in on the end of the quarter and … what’s different? What’s changed?

You likely started the year, or ended the previous year, with goals for the coming year, the coming quarter, or month. Goals and adjustments you wanted to make to your business … two months have now passed.

How’s it going so far?

I held a workshop last week that focused on this very topic. Reality sets in by the end of February and all those lofty goals and ambitions for the year usually find themselves at the bottom of a list that itself has been lost or forgotten. This places us at a decision point. Do we accept the loss of our goals, or do we recommit ourselves to change?

Principals of financial advisory firms planned to have hard conversations about pricing, restructuring, but if there’s time … it’s never the right time, or the right meeting. Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean you suddenly don’t have to take care of everything else that’s normally on your plate.

Partners of law firms planned to delegate more but they’re still the one everyone expects to see in the conference room or on the calls. Their name might even be on the letterhead, and with good reason … but good reason also dictates that the graveyard is full of “indispensable” people, as a manager liked to tell me whenever I asked for time off.

Perhaps most affected by this are owners of accounting firms. Process improvements and efficiency are super important for tax season, or were anyway until … well … tax season. When the waves start to swell, you better believe the owners are down there filling out forms and bailing water overboard along with everyone else.

This is the natural cycle our businesses follow. It’s not because we’re undisciplined or terrible with our time. It’s structural. Systemic. And the longer we leave it, the harder it is to fix.

You are not alone, and I would love to hear from you.

Hit reply and tell me: What pulled you back into the weeds?