Setting 2025 Goals with EOS | Debra Chantry-Taylor | Ep 205

Debra Chantry-Taylor  00:07

Thanks for joining us on the Better Business, Better Life podcast. I'm your host, Debra Chantry Taylor, and I'm passionate about helping entrepreneurs lead their ideal lives by creating better businesses. Because as I say, life is too buggy short.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  00:27

I'm a certified EOS implementer and FPA accredited family business advisor and a business owner myself with several business interests. I work with established business owners and their leadership teams to help them live their ideal entrepreneurial life using EOS, the Entrepreneur Operating System. I use this podcast to share practical tips and tools about how to use EOS in your business and your life to get more of what you want.

So today, Happy New Year. It is 2025 you're probably at the batch. I'm hoping the weather's gorgeous. I'm currently over in Germany and Europe. So it's going to be a lot colder, but certainly the pace should be a little bit slower while we're on holidays. The new year is a perfect time to reflect, recharge and get ready for an incredible year ahead. I have to say, I'm recording this at the end of 2024 but I'm really super excited about 2025 it already feels like things are picking up in general, but also I just see it's like a snowball. And I can talk about this, you know, I'm going to come back from Germany, but the snowball effect is like, if you keep putting things in motion, in place, and you keep refining what you're doing, and you keep getting that laser sharp focused, the snowball just gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  01:39

And I just feel like, for me personally, 2025 is going to be amazing year. But I'm also seeing it with my businesses. I've been working with now, with I've been working on for six months, two years, they're really starting to see that traction. So very excited for the year ahead.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  01:53

I always find that being away from the office gives me the best perspective, especially I if I don't take my laptop, if I don't take my technology, if I just actually take some time out, we call it a clarity break, but it's a really great chance to think about what I really want for the year ahead, both personally and professionally. And so I have no doubt that I will have my remarkable with me while I'm in Germany, and I'll be thinking a lot about what do I really want from this year.

I'll share a little tip with you. I've actually got on my shower wall at home, I have a laminated copy every year. I do every year of the things that I really want to focus on. So it usually has a heading, which is my theme for the year, and then it has some other things that are really important to me. So I talk about the fact that I want to take five long weekends with Steve and the puppies that we want to have one big holiday somewhere overseas. How many businesses I want to help, how many talks I want to do? And there's a whole range of things on there, and it's laminated. It's also got my core values on there as well. So it's laminated there, so every morning when I'm in the shower, I can just read it and remind myself of what this year holds for me.

So I don't know if everybody wants to do that, but I certainly find for me, it's a great way to actually do that. And I had the same thing on my phone screen as well. So I have so this year 2024 last year, was about being focused to make a difference. And my theme was helping entrepreneurs live a life they love. And the goals that I had on there were having a thriving EOS practice and a fractional internal practice with a with $1 amount associated with that. I want to deliver three key notes as a certified EOS, an EOS implementer and a family business advisor. I want to have the retreat in Hawke's Bay, scoped and planned. I wanted to travel regularly for business and fun. I wanted a happy, healthy and loving family. I wanted our home set up to suit our lifestyle. I wanted three weeks overseas holiday with Steve and five long weekends away with Steve and the puppies. And then I had the reminder that, you know, love, freedom, legacy is what I'm all about, and so making sure that everything actually ties into that.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  03:58

The good news is I achieved all of those, and I'll be sitting there in the new year. In it is now the new year and this podcast, but in the new year, I'll be sitting down, taking some time out, and thinking, right, what does 2025 now look like for me? And by the time I come back from Germany and Europe, I will have that printed, laminated on my shower, ready for 2025 so why is it important to take this downtime?

I mean, I think it's been a busy year, right? I know I've certainly had a productive year. I don't like the word busy, but certainly productive. But productive also means there's been a lot going on, and so you need to take some time out.

Downtime is absolutely gold. I always like to think about it as if you think about a glass of water that has some sand in it. If that glass is always moving, always on the go, always, you know, doing stuff always moving, the sand will actually cloud the water. And it's only when you actually put that glass down that that gets a chance to actually settle down to the bottom, and that's when you get the clarity.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  05:02

So the same with our holidays and our breaks, you know, if we actually take the time out, stop moving, stop being busy, stop being productive, stop doing and just start being then you allow that sand in your brain to settle, and suddenly you'll get the clarity that you really, really need.

So today I'm going to share three simple tools that you can use whilst on a holiday. No laptop or boardroom needed to make 2025 your strongest year yet.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  05:29

So, the first tool that I would like to share with you is something you can do just with a blank piece of paper, is to actually do a review of your year. And I think that by doing a review of your year, it starts to get you thinking about, what do you really want from the year ahead? And so I've got this tool called the Year in Review, and I'll let you put a link into the notes here so you can actually download it. But we want to help ask yourself these questions.

So, the first thing is, what were my wins this year, big and small? So, what goals did you set for yourself that you met? What are you most proud of, in terms of what you achieved, accomplished or brought into being this year in life and work. What are these achievements or actions in turn make possible for you, your family, your business, your financial situation, your health and well-being, or for others? And what makes you smile to just think about it today. So this is a little bit of gratitude and reflection on the things that have really gone well.

And I think sometimes we don't tend to reward or think about the small wins. We're always on the go. We're always looking for the next thing. I don't know that hamster on the wheel who's always kind of going forwards. It's like, actually, just to stop and go. What were those wins that we had this year? And then what were my losses this year? Again, big and small. So what important goals did you fail to achieve? And it's okay to fail, as long as you learn from it. So the question needs to be, what did you fail to achieve, and why or and what event or experience represented the worst of the year? And why exactly, again, it's not about going into the negative, but it's going so why was that, you know, why was that and it, why didn't we do it? Or why was that the worst event? What actions did you take that you want to eradicate from your behaviour forever? So it could be that, you know, I maybe drank too much, or I've been eating too much this year, or I haven't been doing as much exercise.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  07:11

So having a think about what you want to both start and stop doing what brings tears of unhappiness and regret to your eyes when you think about it. And I always say I have very few regrets, but there's always something in that year that you can kind of go, Yeah, I wish. I wish I had done something differently there. What have been the challenges you've had this year? What lessons have I learned from this year? This is really very much a little bit like the quarterly review that we do with our clients every quarter, is thinking about that. You know, we're not trying to dwell on the negative, but we need to think about, what are the things that we could do better? Where have we done really well, and where have we done not so well?

Debra Chantry-Taylor  07:48

Then thinking about people, you know, if you think about people who has been the most helpful this year, who are the top three helpers, whom you'd like to acknowledge, who's gone above and beyond in their efforts to assist you in a goal or an important outcome. And you know, once you've named these three people, have a think about what to do for them. Just give them a call and just tell them how amazing I think they are. Could I send them a little handwritten note or a little gift to say, Wow, you've been amazing. I really appreciate and then the second part of this question in people is, who needs to be removed from my life, so who has been terribly unsupportive of you or just doesn't bring the right energy to the relationship and needs to be let go of if you're going to move forward, and suddenly you can have one, you could have more than one.

But generally, I find there's one person in your life that you kind of go, Yeah, you know what? This isn't working for either of us. We need to just move on. But the next section is around the future. So if there was only one thing I could do to improve my business, what would it be, and how would I make it happen? So what is that one thing that you could really do that would really improve the business? And then the next question is, if there was one thing I could focus on to improve my personal performance, what would that be, and how could I make it happen? Or how would I make it happen? And I think you know this several, several years ago, I recognised that sleep was a major issue for me. I just wasn't getting the sleep that I needed, and as a consequence, it was really affecting my ability to think, to talk, to just do, do things.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  09:13

And so I put a real focus in my personal performance on sleep. And I got myself an hour ring and started measuring my sleep habits. I got myself supplements and things the day before I went to sleep, I spoke with a naturopathic doctor, and we worked on some things there. We talked about light and hormones and all that. And now I'm pleased to say that almost every night now I get eight hours sleep, and I wake up feeling refreshed, and I love it. So that was a but that all came about from reviewing what was the one thing I could focus on last year, it was very much about reducing alcohol, and so this year, I've very much cut back on the amount of alcohol that I have because I knew that would improve my personal performance.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  09:50

The next question is an interesting one, what messages am I not listening to or refusing to confront in my business and personal performance, and how am I going to overcome that this year? So there is things that happen to us time and time again. It's giving us a message, and we're just we don't want to go there, because we that's going to be tough. But what?

Just have a think. What could that possibly be? Have a reflection. What? What could I actually do to improve this year? And then what do I want to do more of next year? So if you think about, what do I want to do more of in this year coming up that I didn't get to do enough of last year. The last section is, and what do you want to do less or none of as well? So that's the start stop thing. We often use this in business, right? What can I start doing? What can I stop doing same in the personal life? You know? What do I want to do more of? Or what do I want to do less or none of? So what do I want to start or stop doing?

Debra Chantry-Taylor  10:37

And then finally, the very last question of my year in review is the goals. What do I want to achieve by next Christmas? What you stretch goals could you set that will be juicy, compelling and fulfilling to reach? So think about the business. Think about the personal. I've got two sections there. So what do I achieve in business? What are you from personal? And that's where my shower thing comes from. My laminated sheet in the shower is all about having answered these questions and put me up there. So that's the first tip or tool that I wanted to share with you, reflect and simplify your vision.

You know, I highly encourage you to do this work with your team, but before you do that, you've got to be clear on yourself, and that's why we always say that we should have clarity ourselves before we actually come into it. And that's why the clarity break is so important.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  11:23

For the next the next tool is actually the clarity break. So once you've answered those questions about the in review, you've recognised what you want to do more of. Want to do less of what's worked, what hasn't worked. I would highly recommend taking a clarity break. And a clarity break is where you've done some of that pre thinking you're not going to go away to a quiet space where you feel really comfortable, where nobody can disturb you, no technology, no tools, no phones, no laptop, and just take a piece of paper and sit with yourself and sit with yourself and start asking yourself some questions.

So the questions that I'd like you to answer, ask yourself is, these are business questions, right? Is the vision or plan on track for the business. What's the number one goal of the business? Am I focusing on the most important things? Do I have the right people in the right seats to grow, and what is the one people move I must make this quarter? How strong is my bench, and if I lose a key player, do I have someone ready to fill the seat? Are my processes working? Well, what seems overly complicated that must be simplified. Do I actually understand what my direct reports truly love to do and are great at doing? Am I leveraging their strengths? What can I delegate to others in order to use my time more effectively? What can we do to be more proactive versus being reactive. What can I do to improve communication and what's my top priority this week, this month?

Debra Chantry-Taylor  12:46

Now, those are the clarity break questions again. I'll put a link in the in the episode notes, which will just take you to that and just sit there and just ask those questions, and you don't have to answer immediately. Just allow yourself to dwell on them and allow yourself to sketch things down, draw things out, use mind maps, whatever works for you.

Personally, I just like writing lists. Some German lists work for me, but it's like just answering those questions, thinking about and thinking about them and answering them honestly. So really removing all of the noise, all of the busyness, just go, Yeah, you know, what is this? Am I being truthful about this? Do I really have the right people in the right seats to grow? Is there anybody in my team that I actually needed to deal with and do I really know you know what my team is capable of doing? So that's tool number two is having a clarity break. It's really just making sure that we have real clarity in terms of what's working the business what isn't working.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  13:43

And tool number three is about defining your priorities. So you know, January can feel really overwhelming. Everything's urgent, everything's important. So what are the three to seven most important priorities the next 90 days will actually help us move towards our vision? Yeah. So if you try to tackle everything you achieve nothing. You know, if you if everything's important, nothing's important. So by defining your rocks, it really gives you that laser, sharp focus on what truly matters. So ask yourself, you know, get yourself a notepad and a pen. Ask yourself, if I could achieve only three to seven things in q1 make a real difference. What would they be? And write them down and then share them with a partner or friend for accountability. It's amazing how saying it out loud makes it out loud makes it real.

So you can have personal rocks. You have business rocks. Obviously, with business rocks, we recommend that you actually develop them in conjunction with your team. But if you've got some clarity around what they are, before you get started, we'll just help in terms of keeping that stuff going. And then a little bit of a bonus tip is like you can have a think about measure what matters. You know, have you got a decent scorecard in your business? Your EOS scorecard is about having a set of numbers that really helps you to understand what is the most important thing in the business, and you can't manage what you don't measure. So a scorecard is a simple weekly tool that tracks the key numbers in your business, the ones that shows your track or not. That you can use it personally as well.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  15:02

So for the holiday, I'm going to say, let's just switch off the business side for a moment. What about a personal scorecard? You know, what are the five to 15 numbers that predict success on your personal life? So is it about the number of times that you go to the gym in the week? Is about the amount of reading you get done? Is it about the, you know, the number of drinks you want to have or not have in a week? How many alcohol free days do you want? Is it about spending time with your loved ones? So how many, how much time do you recommend your loved ones? And just think about those five to 15 key numbers that would actually you could measure on a weekly basis that really help you to become the best version of yourself.

And so once you've got that, you can keep on a really simple spreadsheet and just keep track of it. And it's, you know, once you start measuring things, you can start making changes. You see how things go. So just use a bit of paper, jot them down. What are the five to 15 most important things you want to achieve on a weekly basis? And then, when you get back from your holiday, give it a go. Start measuring it. So there you have it, three simple tools from EOS you can start using right now, plus the bonus one, which is more of a personal tool. So make sure that you know you're really clear about reviewing the year. How did the year go? What were the good things? What were the bad things? Have a think about what are your clarity break questions.

Debra Chantry-Taylor  16:22

You know, so sorry, thinking about answering those questions by giving yourself some time to think. Think about that glass of water with the sand in it, let the sand settle down and answer questions. Think about your priorities, one of the most important things you must get done. And then what are the things that can really help you? In terms of a scorecard to help keep you on track. And these tools aren't just for big businesses. They work for every business. They also work in your personal life. So have a think about it. Start small, stay focused. I promise you'll see a huge impact.

So enjoy the rest of your break.

Keep dreaming big, and when you're ready to get serious, I'm here to help you make 2025 your best year yet.

And if you want a little extra clarity or help setting up these goals or these tools, get in touch.

We'll make magic happen together. Happy New Year, everybody.