5 Sure Fire Ways to Have a Crappy Start to 2012

December 22, 2011

 

I am re-posting a blog that I wrote going into this year.  After re-reading it and adding such great followers over 2011, I feel that it still rings true going into this year and years to come…hope you enjoy it, or enjoy it again.

You don’t have to be an expansion stage company to get off to a bad start next year in your 2012 planning. I thought I would add some humor to this week’s blog and focus on what not to do to get started.

  1.  Make sure that your company is unclear on its aspirations. It is very helpful for your teams to be confused on the goals.
  2.  Distract your teams by involving everyone in the planning. Ask people to do things they are not used to doing.
  3.  Do not worry about what your company needs to look like at the end of the year. This will really help you in focusing on the few things that matter.
  4.  Make sure your departments have goals that are only focused on their results. It really isn’t important that the goals are in line with the company goals.
  5.  Make sure that your employees are unsure of their compensation structure. This works even better if you have completed the first bullet.

These are just a few ways to really prep your company for a great year. Now go do the opposite!

SVP Marketing & Sales

<strong>Brian Zimmerman</strong> was a Partner at OpenView from 2006 until 2014. While at OpenView he worked with our portfolio executive teams to deliver the highest impact value-add consulting services, primarily focused on go-to-market strategies. Brian is currently the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at <a href="http://www.5nine.com/">5Nine Software</a>.