Looking back – looking forward

We are rapidly approaching the end of yet another year. Some of us hung on by our fingernails; some of us have managed growing teams and busy, bustling companies.

Whichever your experience this past year, I hope you have taken the time to keep an ear to the ground. I hope you’ve noticed things like the growth in Facebook and other phenomena that tell us a lot about ourselves – and our team.

These changes tell us that we are striving, as an overwhelmed and over-worked population, to find a way to connect with people in our lives that works for us today.

We’re looking for a little relaxation and fun (Farmville, anyone?), while still connecting with friends.

We’re interested in learning and growing, too – at least where WE want to grow.

If we’re listening, we have heard messages that should give us pause and a moment, as we near year’s end, to reflect.

Are our training approaches building bonds, while putting the amazing wealth of resources of the web in the hands of our team?

Are we making learning fun and interesting – and social, at the same time?

Are we – personally – using email, chat and Facebook to build stronger connections, a stronger team, and a stronger company?

If you’re like me, this time of year is both wonderful and exhausting. My work calendar is already flipped to January, making the balance of the month seem much more insignificant than it really is, both in terms of time and of meaning.

And so, I invite you to join me in stopping for just a minute in the remaining days of this year – whenever you can grab it – and reflect on where you’ve been, where you’re going and, what you’ve learned. Because, ready or not, we’re heading into a brand new year.