Want a great 2020? Don’t wait…

Guest blog by Alex Heywood – co-founder, 4and20million

“Time is a gentle deity,” said Sophocles. Perhaps it was, for him. These days it cracks the whip.”

James Gleick – Faster

This was a book written about the astonishing pace of modern life and our obsession with time. In the 20 years since it was first published, the speed of contemporary work has only accelerated. This permanent urgency has resulted in a collective whiplash which can derail our good work intentions and longer term ambitions. 

“Instantaneity rules in the network and in our emotional lives: instant coffee, instant intimacy, instant replay, and instant gratification…If we do not understand time, we become its victims.”

This is the time of year when we most keenly feel the pressure of time in our businesses. With Christmas and year-end firmly on the horizon, everything from here on in needs to be done and dusted before we all stop for carols and turkey.  Projects to finish, pitches to complete, Q4 targets to hit. Then and only then can we breathe a collective sigh of relief, take our foot off the accelerator, pause, indulge our good intentions and say with certainty that next year will be better than the last.

As with all new year’s resolutions, we’ll launch into 2020 with bold ambitions for improving ourselves, our teams and our business.  But before we realise, the whirlwind of the day to day gets in the way of our longer term goals. The important-but-not-urgent stuff – training programmes, appraisals, business planning – often slip down the pecking order, replaced by the more day to day urgent stuff, the busy work that comes with a short deadline.

Before we know it, our ambition to start the new year right gets nudged into Q2. “If we just get through this busy period first…”

Yet there are exceptions.

Leaders who take the time now to consider the needs of their business in 2020 will leap into the new year with a momentum just as other businesses are gathering their thoughts.

When it comes to putting a thorough training and development plan in place, the benefits of investing in your team are well-known. Staff churn diminishes. Motivation improves. Recruitment costs reduce. Reputation is boosted. Connections within the team are stronger. Individuals feel valued. 

That indefinable quality – your culture – thrives. 

Why would you not want to start reaping those benefits sooner rather than later?  Now is the right time to plan your 2020 training and people development requirements.   

4and20million are ready to help you with this process. 

If you don’t know what you need for your team – a conversation with us can remove that headache. If you need help developing training programmes that will really make a difference, our range of inspiring courses can be tailored to the needs of your team. And if you’re looking for something new to add into your traditional training mix, just give us a call.

We can help you:

• Develop your 2020 training plan
• Pinpoint the skills that will maximise the human potential in your team
• Improve productivity – Getting Things Done
• Strengthen the stories people tell on  behalf of your business – Brilliant Presenters
• Boost the ability of your teams to understand one another and communicate better – Brilliant Team

There is always the danger that the fascination with speed and immediate response will override our desire to plan effectively. It’s easy to launch into January and fall into the trap of assuming that whatever business challenges you throw at them, your team will be able to cope.

Prioritising your people now will enable you to start 2020 on the front foot.

4and20million can help you generate next year’s momentum now.