Getting things done in 2014

We have just finished another year and we are now beginning a fresh 2014. Some people have achieved big things in 2013 but many are not satisfied with what they did in the year gone past. That we are now just beginning a New Year, we are all presented with one more chance to do big things in a year. Let us, therefore, focus on how to get things done—especially in 2014. We know that if you can master the art of getting things done, you are well on the road to sustained success. Let us discuss the four key things that you need to do in order to get things done.

1. Initiative: If you want to get things done, you need to have the energy and interest to start things and to aggressively and progressively drive them to the very end. If you cannot even start implementing ideas, you cannot then get things done. Many people wait until they have all the answers to questions on how things will get done. Many people wait until they have all the resources but remember that many houses have been built by simply starting the project with a few bricks, well before the owner had adequate bricks, cement, doors, windows, roofing materials and not to mention the fishing materials. Just start and then keep driving.

2. Resourcefulness: As you drive the implementation of your ideas and as you try to get things done, you will constantly be required to find clever ways of accomplishing the desired results. Do not be stuck to one way, especially when things don’t seem to move. Be creative as you get things done. When stuck, ask others that can help you. Check what others have done in similar situations or indeed search for what you did in similar situations in the past. When you do not have adequate resources, see what else you have that you can trade for the exact resources you need. May be you can simply modify other resources that you have. In your mind, do not believe even for a moment that lack of resources will prevent you from achieving your desired results.

3. Persistence: Along the way, you will face a lot of difficulty, discouragement and challenges. You need the courage to sail through all that. You need great self-belief that no matter what the challenges, you will keep ploughing through until you break through. There are a lot of brilliant people who are not really successful, simply because they lack this trait. They start but they cannot finish things. A few months ago, we discussed the need to become a ‘complete finisher’. Taking things to the very end is a key element of success.

4. Following through (pushing): If you are going to be a successful person, you need to follow through on all the deliverables from people you will depend on. It may be those in your team, or may be the suppliers or your peers or indeed your manager or supervisor. Do not just request for their actions and then sit back. You need to follow through regularly at well timed-intervals and with diplomacy and courtesy. Even if people accept that they will do something for you, do not just believe and wait that it will be done without your ‘pushing’, reminding or following through. You need to drive to the very end and you need to coordinate throughout the ‘project’ until you complete. But do not go to the other extreme where you overdo this and then you end up antagonising people by constantly pestering them.

Starting the New Year 2014 presents a fresh chance for all of us to rethink our approach to getting things done. Today, we have discussed four key strategies that you can use to master the art of getting things done. If you implement this framework and once you master it, you will become a great achiever because you will get things done. All the best as you master the art of getting things done in 2014!