Some people think that I get downright hard to deal with if the year rolls over to a new year. It’s true. January is like a total reset for me, both in business and personally. But the thing I love about January is it reminds me to always emphatically inspect the details. You can make or break your career and your success by getting lost and not paying attention to the details. I was taught from a very early age that you are only as good of a manager as you are a checker. Not to distrust what people give or show you, but to manage your own expectations by checking to ensure everything is being done at the level of accuracy you want.
It bothers some people. Some people don’t like being looked at. They feel that it’s micromanaging. They feel that I’m in their business a little too much. They think, why is he asking me these questions? or does he not trust me? or am I not good enough? That’s simply not it at all. What it has to do with is this: as a reset around every year, I reset and refocus myself, my goals, my priorities, and my aspirations for the year. During that time, I find it almost rewarding to be able to check everything that comes across my way and even ask about things that I’m not day-to-day involved in to make sure they are handled and executed to the best degree possible. You’re only as good of a manager as you are a checker. And when you manage a great deal of projects, people, and personalities, you find yourself checking things all the time.