If there’s one thing that unites us, it’s our innate longing for progress. At the heart of every client’s brief, there’s a desire for progress. In every employees’ game plan, there’s a motivation towards progression and growth,

While progress looks different for everyone, the truth is that we all want to level up in some way.

But here’s the thing: life isn’t linear. Sometimes we take two steps forward and eighteen steps back.

Sometimes we fail and that never feels like progress at the time. It feels like shit.

But we learn what we need to learn in order to get to where we want to go, so yes, it is progress, even if it’s not what we hoped and planned for.

The word progress scares some people. They think of it as a consuming force that strives for bigger, better, faster, higher.

In the past, it was like that. It’s used to be about taking down the competition.

But today, it’s about collaboration, not domination.

It’s got to be a win/win for everyone – for clients and service providers, to customers and the environment.

If everyone’s winning, you can be confident that you’re heading in the right direction.

So where will I be making progress this year?

Last year – in the midst of all the turmoil – I realised a few things. In the past, I did a lot of things because I could do a lot of things. And all that did was make me tired.

So, I asked friends, colleagues, clients and peers’ what problem they would come to me to solve.

This helped me get some clarity around what I’m here to help people do.

Answer: I’m here to solve big problems for people – or connect them with people who can.

I take people out of the weeds and get them back on track.

I’m also really good at reading the tea leaves and understanding what’s coming in the next 18 months in business.

So that’s where I will be progressing. What have you set your sights on?