The Tribune

By Ian Ferguson

It is customary to make resolutions during these last few hours in an outgoing year. People and businesses revel in the excitement and prospect of turning over a new leaf and starting afresh. As with any New Year’s resolution, or re-establishing what will be, there has to be some abandonment of the failures of the past (as costly as they may have been). Even sacred scripture admonishes us to forget those things that are behind, and to reach forward to those things which are before. If excellence, growth and success are to be achieved, some pressing and forging forward is required. But not blindly: 2013 steps and corporate decisions must be carefully calculated and based upon good reasoning, plus substantial and relevant research.

In your pondering of what must be left behind, perhaps some or all of these questions come to mind:

1. Do I have the ‘A-Team’ I need in 2013 to secure unprecedented success for my business, or are there individuals whom I need to further prepare or dismiss from the company?

2. Have I demonstrated care and appreciation for my team this year? Are they going to be motivated to give their best effort in 2013?

3. Are there creditors with whom I must reconcile? Do I have outstanding financial responsibilities, which I have not (for whatever reason) honoured?

4. Are there persons who are still indebted to my business, and have I determined whether or not they will be pursued or written-off as bad debts?

5. Have I shown appreciation to my loyal customer base, firstly by soliciting from them ways to improves services in the coming year?

Remember the adage, you cannot place new wine in old skins, or else you are bound to have leakage. Now, as you look to the future and the success you hope to achieve, certainly you have pondered these and many more questions:

1. Have I planned adequately, sharing the plan, vision, goals with key players on my team?

2. Have I secured all of the marketing resources required to ensure that my goods and services are well-received in the marketplace?

3. Have I created a plan of development for my team members to ensure they all remain engaged and motivated?

4. Have I implemented systems to continuously hear from my customers and improve my services based on what they say?

5. Have I set my finances in order with proper management systems to ensure I remain above board?

These questions are basic enough for every business person, despite the size of the organisation, to follow and adhere to. To ignore them would certainly mean corporate suicide in 2013, a year that will undoubtedly be blitzed with paradigm shifts and nuances in how we conduct business. What we say, though, to the struggling entrepreneur, the small or medium-sized enterprise or the well-established company still in transition mode, is that you are not alone. Get help…because it is available (and sometimes gratis)!

The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) remains committed to the growth and sustainability of Bahamian Enterprise. We remain in the fight, with greater resolve in 2013, to secure a stronger nation through thriving, economically viable local and international businesses.

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

NB: Ian R. Ferguson was educated locally, regionally and internationally, having earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Miami. During the course of his nearly 20 years in education, talent management and human resources, he has served both the public and private sector in senior management roles. He currently serves as manager of the Chamber Institute, and as a local consultant in the field, having assisted hundreds of local and regional businesses in improving business and service excellence through their human capital.