Take the Win(s)

Now is the time of the day where you start to ask yourself the question, "what did I achieve this week?" However, it is also the time of the week where your brain is suffering from a bit of cognitive overload and your grey matter is a bit mushy (that's a technical term)...don't worry, Alena, you are not alone.

Because of the conditions that occur at this time of day, we tend to push aside this very valuable moment of reflection. I have shared with you previously my Friday Final Hour, but I thought this week I'd offer a condensed set of questions to help you break down your week and identify what you achieved this week.

Stop - don't write yourself off!

Where we often go wrong (and why we tend to avoid answering this question), is we make the assumption that 'achievements' need to be big. Thus defaulting to the deflating feeling (and very unresourceful thought) that we haven't achieved anything.

This feeling isn't helpful!

One of the many reflections recently shared by the pilot cohort of my Meaning Matters Online program was that the big achievements celebrated at the end of the program (new jobs, tenders won and stakeholders influenced) were a direct result of the smaller achievements over the previous 12 weeks. This was a significant reflection, considering many of them started their group coaching sessions by saying 'this isn't a big win, but this is what I achieved this week....'. Recognise the language?

Identifying small achievements allows us a baseline on which to build and also gives us the motivation to keep building for maximum cumulative impact. As the ad goes, 'from little things, big things grow'.

So....here are 4 questions to ask yourself to take the wins for the week:

1. What did you initiate?
Being proactive is a key part of being a strategic finance professional. Knowing when to initiate tasks, conversations and activities to keep driving performance is one skill, but taking action is what counts.

What did you start this week?

2. Who did you engage with?
As a valued business partner, you need to have the ability to talk with presence and purpose while influencing commercial decisions. You need to be talking with the right people in the right way.

Who did you help this week?

3. What did you substantiate?
'All talk no action' is one of the biggest fears of a finance professional. Delivering data-driven tangible outcomes is one of the core non-negotiables.

What did you support this week?

Assess your responses

If you want to get maximum impact from the few minutes spent reflecting on the above, I invite you to review your responses to the above. Do these individual achievements move you closer towards your (either individual or team's) bigger goal?

If not, here is one final question to get yourself firmly prepared for next week:

What is the most important task you need to achieve next week?

With that....stop reading, pat yourself on the back and update your to-do list!

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