2021 is Coming…
Phileas Fogg is not necessarily a household name. When I asked my team if they knew the name, they came back with guesses of a Harry Potter character, an athlete and a politician. Phileas Fogg was the fictitious character in Jules Verne’s 1872 novel, Around the world in Eighty Days. Fogg famously makes a wager that he can circumnavigate the world in 80 days or less. The story inspired a number of people to attempt the same feat including Elizabeth Cochrane who made it around the world in 72 days and wrote a book about it in 1890.
So, what is the significance in bringing up these world travelers? Yesterday marked 80 days left in 2020. It’s definitely been a long year, but it’s crazy to think that it is coming to an end. We’ve lost revenue, we’ve lost people, and we’ve lost a lot of sleep, but 2020 will only be a lost year if we fail to learn something from it and take action on what we’ve learned. The next 80 days will most likely fly by, but hopefully we can be inspired by Philieas Fogg and Elizabeth Cochrane and understand that a lot can be accomplished during that time frame.
I challenged our team to use the next 80 days to set both the company and themselves up for success in the future: To think about what they want to accomplish and what they can do to be better prepared for challenges ahead. To think about what they’ve learned over the past nine months and how they want to apply that to their lives.
Last year during our executive retreat, “A pandemic” didn’t make the “threats list” while doing our SWOT analysis, and I doubt it was on the radar of many other companies. Preparation is not necessarily about preparing for every possible scenario, it’s about preparing yourself to tackle whatever comes your way. It’s about personally adding skills and knowledge that put you in a better position. And for companies, it’s about strengthening the foundation, sharpening the tools that are used, and ensuring everyone is aligned with the mission and goals of the organization.
Most people wait until the end of the year to make resolutions and set goals, but starting now gives you momentum heading into 2021. You’ve got two and half months to get a head start on making next year awesome. There will always be outside forces that impact us, but if we focus on what we can control, we can ensure next year will be a success, regardless of what gets thrown our way. We’re down to 79 days left in 2020, how are you going to use that time? You may not be trying to go around the world, but think about what audacious goal could you go after. What will you do to close out 2020 that will inspire others for many years to come?
*Each week I share a leadership message with our team and we are honored to share it with you via MIBE Tribe. MIBE (the acronym for Make It Better Everyday) Tribe delivers education on heart leadership and intentional culture building for the hospitality industry.