Here’s a list of great year-end questions from Molly Gordon. Put them to use as you reflect on 2009 and make plans for 2010.

Endings are important. As we approach the end of 2009, take time to examine what you have accomplished and to revisit and revise the commitments you've made. Your reflection now will lay a foundation for new possibilities in the New Year.

Here are questions I share with my clients when they approach completion of a cycle or project. 

[These questions were adapted from similar questions in “The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry” by Sue Annis Hammond.]

Crises can arise at any moment. I recently heard about a company holiday party that went afoul, ending with an older female employee doing some pretty inappropriate things with a younger (and very drunk) male coworker – and taking pictures! Needless to say, the pictures got out, the clueless male, now sober, was ticked. And things went from there.

Whatever your crisis situation, The Forbes Group, a 20-year-old strategic management consulting firm, recommends organizations adopt a seven-step crisis management formula:

Here’s a good strategic year-end reminder from Seth Kahan. You can learn more about Seth's work at VisionaryLeadership.com

Use the End-of-Year to Create Your New Year Strategy

Fast Company just put out their Best Business Books for 2009 list. “The best books of the year have two stories to tell: How we got into this economic crisis (and how we can prevent it from happening again) and how there's a class of companies wreaking their own brand of havoc on their industries. Both offer fascinating tales of innovation, and you'll learn everything from the secret underpinning some of the world's fastest-growing companies to strategies and insights for building a more sustainable society in the wake of the recession.”

Check out the titles and descriptions to find a little holiday reading.  

2009 is coming to a close. End your year on the right note – by saying “thank you” to your team!

General kinds of appreciation are good; but specific acknowledgments are even better. Why?  Because it tells people you are really paying attention…to them. Here are some ideas…

• “This is what you did that really mattered to me, to our company, to our customers…” Give examples.
• “Look at what we accomplished this year. We could not have done it without you…” And then list what they did or provided or how they approached things that made THE difference.
• Share a memorable story that demonstrates who your employees are and what they do or did that you appreciate.

People want to know that they matter. Take this year-end opportunity to make your “thank yous” really count!

(For your reflection: Can you think of a “thank you” that stayed with you long after the message was delivered?  What made the difference for you?)

A recent survey from Adecco Group North America highlights the increased dissatisfaction workers in America have with their employers. According to the survey: 

Fact Company recently published a great article on Employee Engagement by CEO Roberta Matuson in which she listed five ways you can really tick off your employees and secure a Human Resource catastrophe in your near future.

1. Provide daily reminders - Remind employees how lucky they are to have a job. Do this on a daily basis. Tell them how fortunate they are to be receiving a paycheck. Never mind their check is 10% less than what they originally signed up for. Remember to include this reminder at your weekly meetings, when you take them out to lunch to thank them for their efforts, and at this year’s office party.
2. Freeze raises and bonuses – Jump on the bandwagon. Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn’t you? Doesn’t matter if your profits are soaring or if your employees know you’ve had your best year ever. This is a great time to rein in costs, even if your costs are already in line.
3. Renege on your promises – You told people their reduction in pay would be temporary. However, you now view these changes as permanent. Of course you’ve decided not to tell anyone, until they ask.
4. Put a moratorium on promotions – Ask people to do the work of those who have been let go, and insist on holding back a title change and pay increase. Call this “self-development,” since you are giving people a wonderful opportunity to increase their skills. Something few employers seem to be doing.
5. Send mixed messages – Tell your employees they are your most valuable asset. Then remind them that everyone is replaceable. Just to prove your point, be sure to replace a highly respected member of your team, with someone who is less experienced and less expensive.

In case you missed it – those are meant to be funny! But don’t miss this -- it’s time to get back to team-building basics. First, admit you have a problem. Then you can begin the lengthy process of rebuilding trust in your organization. Or, you can continue with business as usual and watch your employees flee the minute the economy shows signs of recovery.

Developing a brand is much more than defining your logo or company identity. At its best, a brand is a belief system, a system that makes those who support it / buy it / use it feel as though they belong. Branding helps us understand why some products mean something to us while others – with essentially the same features – do not.

I probably have close to 25 books on branding on my shelf, but the one I’d recommend you read first is Primal Branding by Patrick Hanlon. Here’s an excerpt: “What we call primal branding is the ability to make people feel better about your brand than another. In today’s parity world, who your customer feels better about is called preference. And it is well understood that preference creates sales. As Hal Riney, the creative mind behind Bartles & James and Saturn advertising, once remarked, ‘In a parity world, my best friend wins.’”

During challenging times, business leaders start running around looking for new marketing wonder-gigits and social media miracles, believing that, with the RIGHT tool, their marketing needs will be solved and a steady stream of qualified customers will come flooding in the door. But, as much as we wish it otherwise, there are no "shortcuts" to building trust – and trust is the key component to effective branding and marketing.

In the book Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time, Greg Mortenson tells about the process required to build trust in Baltistan (northern Pakistan). He relates a Baltistani proverb: "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time, you are an honored guest. The third time you become family." Whether your trust building efforts require more or less than three “touches,” the idea is right on. If you want to be welcomed and trusted, you have to be willing to invest the time to be invited and known.

Take a few moments to consider how you could improve your “trust-building.” Once you have a few ideas, give yourself a deadline to put something into practice.