with Ed Reid, owner of The Alternative Board

ONE of the things I do every other Wednesday is read the blog by Suzanne Burnett – a mixture of successful businesswoman and farmer’s wife with a healthy dollop of insight and common sense. And recently, with a quote in her blog that’s perfect for this time of year from legendary American investor Warren Buffet: “No matter how great the talents or efforts, some things just take time. You can’t make a baby in a month by making nine women pregnant.”

Now is the time to start making plans for next year. But plans – not ‘wish list’ – is the key word. Remember that it’s ‘SMART:’ specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. And the most important word in there is ‘realistic’.

Over the years I’ve seen thousands of business plans produced at this time of year. By March of the following year a significant number of those plans lay abandoned, their creators denying all responsibility for them.

And the main reason for that was simple: the goals and targets weren’t realistic – and it had quickly become apparent that they weren’t realistic. But faced with that blank piece of paper the temptation to be too ambitious – or to please the boss peering over your shoulder – is almost overwhelming.

Many TAB members have made tremendous strides this year: may will do the same in 2017. But there’s no disgrace in saying: “No. Next year’s a year when we need to put the foundations in place for 2018.”

One of the key factors in building a successful team – both inside and outside your business – is finding people who’ll tell you the truth. I love my job: the opportunity it gives me to say “this is how it could be” – to see someone recognise the possibilities in their life and their work – is immensely fulfilling. But I couldn’t do my job if I wasn’t unfailingly honest with people. And sometimes that means urging caution: if the immediate job is to fix the cash-flow, nothing matters until that’s done.

So as well as holding up a mirror saying: “This is how it could be,” sometimes I have to say: “This is how it really is. Let’s fix it.”

The world is going to be a challenging place in 2017 and if that coincides with a year of consolidation for your business, that’s fine. I’ll support you 100 per cent of the way.

No business is on a constantly upward path. At some time we all need to pause and consolidate before we jump to the next level. Almost always, business growth is a series of steps – in turnover, staffing levels and the quality of your team.

It’s my job – helped by your colleagues round the TAB table – to help you make those steps, and to help you recognise the right time to take the steps. So don’t worry if it isn’t next year: setting unrealistic and over-ambitious goals might satisfy your ego in October, but it could cost you a whole year when you quietly shelve the plans in March.

No, you can’t make a baby in a month. And you can’t build a business in one unrealistic year: everything worthwhile takes time.