I said last week's newsletter was the final edition of our summer reflections series but, in the manner of Columbo (or Steve Jobs if you want slightly more up-to-date cultural references), I've turned back from the door for "Just one more thing..."

TV detective Columbo turns back from the door to ask "Just one more thing..."
"One more thing... It's not 3 separate devices... it's one device. The iPhone!".... Hang on, I may have crossed the cultural reference streams

...Did you actually do any of the reflections exercises?

From my experience there'll be three groups of readers:

  1. 30% of people will have read the reflections, got a little bit excited at the chance to think about the bigger picture of their business, and actually taken time to think through at least one exercise that chimed with them. It counts if you just thought about it on a walk or sitting in your favourite chair for half an hour or so and making some notes.
  2. 20% of people will have skimmed the reflections and thought "All looks a bit new-age to me. I'll just do my task list and wait for a more businessy newsletter."
  3. 50% of people will have read the reflections and thought "Ooh that looks really useful, I must get round to doing those" — but then didn't. The daily grind got in the way. Again.

If you're in group 1, great work. You now have a list of things you will proactively improve in your agency over the next month or so. Do hit reply and let me know how you got on and what actions you've planned.

If you're in group 2. That's okay, different things float different people's boats. Hit reply and let me know the ways in which you prefer to learn and improve your business, and I'll be sure to cover those in a future newsletter. But then — think for a moment about what the downside would be from trying just one of the reflections (listed below), just for twenty minutes, to see what happens.

But if you're in group 3, wanting to do the reflections but not getting round to it, today's newsletter is for you. Here we go...

Let's make a deal

Most agency founders get stuck in a rut this way. Never quite getting the time to reflect on the business and how to improve it.

They end up being constantly reactive: battling inboxes and tasklists between bouts of firefighting project or staff problems.

Want to break out of that? That's exactly what I help agency founders do, including with this newsletter.

Let's make a deal.

Take 5 minutes now to skim the reflections in the last six weeks of this series:

Pick one that resonates with you, or pick one at random.

Look at your diary for the next few days. When could you force in a quiet hour to yourself. Could you go for a walk before or after work? Could you go to a cafe for an afternoon cuppa?

Whatever and wherever works for you to get one single hour, with space to think.

Actually take the step of blocking it out in your diary, as 'Meeting with Steve Parks. Important!' if you like. Nobody else has to know I'll only be there virtually, and it'll prevent them trying to squeeze something else in. Being on your schedule will nudge you to stick to it.

Don't let anything override that appointment. Show yourself you can commit to make the time to think. You are a successful agency owner, and taking that hour to reflect is what successful agency owners do. You owe it to yourself, and you owe it to the business

Deal?


Fall in love with leading your agency again

I can help you lift out of the day to day and be more impactful as the owner, director and CEO of your agency. Design a business you'll love to work in again.

Let's get started

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