2019 Year in Review
In 2015 when I was still working in business development, I was sitting at a restaurant in Las Vegas with three of my work colleagues. We were attending a client conference — one of the dozens I had attended over the previous few years. I received a text with a video from my wife. My son had turned from his back to his stomach for the first time and she wanted me to see it, since I wasn’t there to see it myself.
So why does this matter today? Well, it has to do with my own personal goals and metrics, which I will cover a little later.
But first, I want to highlight that one of the activities we emphasize in our training programs -— and that I encourage everyone to do — is to take time to reflect. The end of the year is a natural time to do that. As the year wraps up, it’s often considered an opportunity for change or a new beginning.
Given that I encourage others to take time to reflect, I think it's only fair that I provide my own look back for all of you who continue to support NextGen Center.
As I’ve talked about in other forums, we each have our own definition of what success means to us, as it depends on what we want and who we are. So I want to share some of the personal metrics of success that I consider when reflecting on this past year and planning for the next.
Most of my personal metrics revolve around my family. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does include data points such as:
How many nights did I, together with my wife, put our kids to sleep.
How many nights did we spend as a family at the dinner table.
How many days did I travel away from home for work purposes.
These are critical components for how aligned I feel — especially in my personal life. These metrics are important to me. And that became painfully apparent in Las Vegas nearly five years ago when I became aware of what I was missing.
I became intent on changing what I could. And while I don't evaluate these metrics in a vacuum, it’s important for me to acknowledge — every year — the shift that’s taken place.
Putting my kids to sleep: 5 years ago that number was probably 75%. Now it's 99%.
Family dinners: 5 years ago that number was probably 70%. Now it’s 97% or more.
Travel away from home for work: 5 years ago that number was 60+ days per year. Now it’s 1-2 days per year.
These results are much more in alignment for me. And as much as I’d like to say that they were easy to shift, the truth is they required significant time, planning, and support from my family and friends. I can’t fully express the importance of having this network for your personal metrics, but in times of transition, it’s critical to have love, support, and genuine care from those closest to you.
Now, a little about the professional side of my metrics.
When you own a business everyone will ask how it’s going. And as much as I would like to report on financial metrics when asked, that is not what drives NextGen Center.
We are in the people development space, and so that is where I focus our attention: How many lives have we touched. I might even call this another personal “metric” that manifests in a business context, because our focus has been and will continue to be on access and impact.
With that, I am happy to report that NextGen Center continues to serve more companies and leaders, especially throughout the Triangle area. This year, we worked with over 20 companies in three different states, engaging more than 100 participants through our services. We hosted gatherings to bring participants together. And we continue to engage with the community around us in North Carolina.
Related to impact, I noted in a previous newsletter how I sense a shift around the leadership conversation in the workplace. The number of conversations is increasing, but more importantly, the depth of conversations continues to expand as well. I’m talking about topics related to culture, values, strengths, motivations, purpose, trust and so much more. Naturally, I partner with companies that are focused on these topics, but the conversation in the broader community also seems to be growing.
In sum, I hope this year-in-review serves as an update as well as a source of encouragement to spend some of your own time reflecting. I will highlight goals for NextGen Center in 2020 in the posts ahead. But until then, I hope you and your families have an impactful start to the New Year!
Brian