Jan 5, 20234 min read

TRUE NORTH©: Follow Your Star

In the Northern Hemisphere, you can find the North Star by tracing a line along the two outermost stars in the Big Dipper: trace along that line until you hit the nearest bright star.

The notion of beginning 2023 by setting a course to True North is both inspiring and hopeful, and, let’s face it, isn't focus and direction what we all need to kick off the new year?

To be precise, True North is the direction that points directly towards the geographic North Pole; a fixed point on the Earth's globe which is slightly different from just knowing the compass direction.

Why is this important from a business perspective?

When we set a course, we logically expect deviations, challenges, changes and even to fall off course yet if we accurately know our target is fixed, we can, if we keep consistent and determined arrive at that ‘fixed’ point. Targets are vital for many reasons hence we create business plans, marketing strategies, and a solid sales approach for the sole purpose of igniting passion in those we count on to help make those strategies and plans come to fruition.

TRUE NORTH© is a system that brings guidance, direction, insight, and clarity to planning and achieving corporate results. Business plans are vital but more functional versus emotive; they detail the ‘what’ and the ‘when’ but the ‘how’ rests in the world of action and truly finding your TRUE NORTH©.

Extracts from the TRUE NORTH© Learning Academy.

TRUE NORTH© is a practical set of principles, disciplines, and tools designed not to sit in a draw gathering dust but to be embedded into the business and become an approach and a set of behaviors used every day - to drive better business performance. Targets, metrics, and plans have their vital place in the preparation for goals but how teams engage, keep focused, take consistent action, and remain disciplined is the difference between meeting and exceeding corporate objectives.

One of the most challenging aspects of growing revenue, improving customer retention rates, and building upon successes is to not just keep doing the "same old, same old" but adjusting your course, empowering your teams with new methods, and making it fun, rewarding, and enjoyable.

The old saying that if you are not moving forward, you are sliding backward is true for most businesses. Recurring revenue aside, adding new clients, new products, new services, and new ways and means ensures continued success.

There elements that can make this road smoother for you and your teams:

1. Understanding and redefining your customer base and targets

2. Educating and empowering your sales team

3. Providing your team with useful resources, tools, and coaching

4. Rewarding and supporting change and growth

5. Creating an environment that is truly conducive to success

6. Being clear on what success looks like and means for all

This is about creating relationships that fuel growth and success both for your organization and the customers you serve.

The path to strategic partnerships is a journey – but one you don’t have to take alone. TRUE NORTH© allows individuals, corporations, and teams to build an ‘action’ plan for engagement that drives continually and consistently towards the goals and objectives set out in a business plan.

Knowing where you are going, and when you need to arrive is helpful but how you get there is driven by behaviors, organization, and method.

As a Captain sets the course for the ship, he does not leave port without his sailors or his supplies and his expectations from each member of his crew.

Similarly, following your star to reach your True North means taking the time to organize your day, week, and routines to get done those things that make the difference to success. Whether it is phone calls, emails, meetings, blogs, creative content, engineering, or finance, knowing your True North, defining it, and preparing the journey will have you there in no time if the actions that keep you in motion are taken daily without fail.

Finding and defining your True North is your course to the stars, daily action will get you there. Following your star is so much easier when you are equipped and fully prepared!

Enjoy! The view from the stars is simply scintillating…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: DINA O'REILLY

To learn more about 4xi, TRUE NORTH© or any of our other programs, you can contact Dina directly at dina@4xiconsulting.com or visit our website to learn more about who we are, what we do, and how we inspire a brighter future, together: www.4xiconsulting.com

4xi Global Consulting & Solutions is a team of talented leaders from both the client-side and service provider side, impacting the Human Experience (HX) for people at work, in education, rest, and at leisure.

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