All great things take time.
There is no overnight solution to lasting change.
It all starts with developing a habit of pushing yourself to take action when you don’t feel like it. It’s important to approach any idea for change as you would with any construction project, with strong planning and, like any good builder, have the right tools you need to get the job done.
Here are three practical tools to transform your practice and your thinking.
1. Adopt Technology
A good builder takes advantage of the best tools at their disposal. Being able to collaborate anywhere, anytime and on any device using the cloud is one of the best ways to foster creativity and improve productivity within your practice.With more than 500 integrations available in Xero’s Marketplace, there’s a range of software solutions available to better your practice and help your clients run their business.
I’m of the opinion that it’s important to be mindful of the future, but not at the expense of the moment. Use organizational software like Trello to get organized and plan ahead, while not losing sight of the present. Most importantly of all, using cloud-based accounting technology like Xero in your practice allows you to collaborate quickly and efficiently with clients while cutting down on time wasted doing manual tasks like data entry, filing and making unnecessary visits to clients.
2. Learn and share
Keeping one of your most important tools, your mind, sharp is part of fostering new ideas. While I’m a strong promoter of belief in your own ideas, a little bit of help from others can go a long way. Attending industry conferences like Xerocon not only offers the opportunity for product mastery and keeping up to date on industry best practices, you can attend any number of dynamic, TED-style keynotes (like from yours truly). These are great for instilling the inspiration and motivation you need to transform your thinking in more than one aspect of your life.
While not everyone in your practice may be able to attend, you’ll come back feeling refreshed and revitalized and there’s no better opportunity to share your knowledge and energy with your colleagues. Remember all energy is contagious, both positive and negative. Set up a lunch or a coffee break where you can share your new ideas, brainstorm and have a Q & A.
3. Develop a strategy
Developing a plan to implement change all starts with throwing self-doubt out the window. Taking action, even though you’re afraid, is how you become courageous. You must have the belief in your game-changing ideas, after all, you have them for a reason. Be prepared to not succeed the first time you try. Before something great can happen, everything must first fall apart. Remember this now and whenever it feels like your world is ending.
Next, map out a set of clear goals you would like to achieve and what you intend on changing to achieve them. Start on these ideas by yourself before including others in your practice. They will be integral to achieving success when it comes to changing practices or procedures and it is important that they know this. Make sure your goals are measurable and you set dates in the future to revisit them to discuss what has and hasn’t worked and to recalibrate if needed. Supplied by Xero