It is January and the beginning of a new year. Welcome to 2024.

I wonder where you are at. Are your Christmas decorations still decorating, are there still Christmas presents lying around not yet thanked for or put away? Is there still leftover food in the fridge or a freezer full of unneeded holiday food? Or on the other hand are you organised and prepared for the New Year the way you prepare your children for their new school term? New school shoes, new notebooks, and a new pencil case with fresh pens?

In business terms, it is all about fresh objectives, budgets, and focus. And those are the things I should be entreating you to think about. However whilst these are on my mind they are not at the forefront of my thinking. Let me tell you a story which has so many business lessons in it for me and maybe for you too.

Once upon a time I was preparing for my big Christmas delivery. I was being too clever by half and reorganising my freezer. Of course, there were things that had slipped through the net and were overdue for eating. In my case, there was uncooked chicken. So in a fit of madness, I decided I had time to fit cooking it into my day’s plan. (First mistake – there was already enough on my To Do list). So I get to that point in the day when it is cooking time. (Second mistake – I was under pressure as there were still things to do but I convinced myself that I could finish them if I made it a chicken casserole and it would be bubbling away in the oven for 45 minutes.)

I prepared the dish and put the oven on to heat. As soon as it was up to temperature I opened it to put the casserole in. I had not moved the shelf down as I should have done, and as it was now hot I decided to leave it where it was. (Third mistake – this situation was never going to get better). I then put the casserole in. It was a stretch, and I knew it might be awkward to get out. (Fourth mistake – I thought I will deal with that problem when it is cooked).

45 minutes later I have finished most of the last things on my list and the casserole needs to come out. I open the oven and realise that I face the problem I postponed 45 minutes ago.

Now you need to know that I am a wheelchair user, and the oven is at my eye level. About a year ago I realized my much loved Le Creuset casseroles were too heavy for me, so I rehomed them and bought some Pyrex ones.

So back to this hot casserole that is too high for me to reach easily. It is in a Pyrex casserole, and we all know that the lids slither about. So brain is trying to engage and says take the lid off and then deal with the casserole. Could I get it off? No, I flipping couldn’t, it just whizzed round and round. I need help but dismiss that idea (Fifth mistake). So at this stage, I am bad tempered mostly with myself. I reach for the casserole. I pull it out of the oven, and I bundle it. The casserole goes up in the air. Life goes into slow motion. Somehow I divert the casserole so only half the liquid pours into my lap and everything else goes on to the kitchen floor. Needless to say, I am not calm but burnt and screaming.

This story has gone on too long so I will not bore you with the burnt thighs (mine not the chicken’s) or the bedlam in my (white) kitchen or the ongoing consequences. However, I am going to tell you about my recriminations with myself. Here they are:

I revised the plan and tried to do too much – why?
I did not focus but ignored the facts as the situation developed. I tried to fit too much in and created too much pressure.
I thought I walked on water and so would solve the problem I had set up when the moment came. I ignored the fact that everything would be much worse as it would be boiling hot by then.
I ignored my instincts all the way through this situation and particularly that moment when I should ask for help.
I hurt myself unnecessarily and could have permanently damaged my kitchen as well as ruining my dress.

AND I KNOW ALL THESE THINGS ARE MISTAKES! I have learnt these lessons before.

I really should have known better.

None of the consequences need to have occurred.

Now if you haven’t lost the will to live are you thinking “This has nothing to do with business and she is an idiot”. I was an idiot I ignored lessons from the past. Lessons I use in business all the time.

Another quick story. I have a bright client who combines running several businesses with being a wife and mother. She has just had to sort out the chaos resulting from not registering a trademark. We are not sure whether she forgot, postponed it until too late or just overlooked it. The cheapest and quickest way to solve this was to give it away to the person who did want to register it and now she has to rename, rebrand and rebuild the product’s profile. Ooops. Many of the same lessons apply.

Mentors are different to coaches. We share our experience, so you learn from it rather than risk making mistakes yourself. In future I will be an even better mentor than I was before because of this chicken casserole!

If you want to focus on the right things, interrogate your thinking, talk to someone about your quandaries and the decisions to be made, be accountable; if you want an alongsider, a companion on the road, a supporter to help you unpick the challenges and craft a plan to come through them effectively, why not give me a call. We can talk about your business and what you want from it and your life. I love speaking with people, off the meter, to help them explore possibilities and whether/how to take them forward. I hope you will be one of them.