As fall comes to an end and the light at the end of the 1/1 renewal tunnel is coming into view, now is a good time to start looking toward 2010.

As you start to think about what you want to accomplish next year and reflect about what you did or didn't accomplish this year, let's talk specifically about how you can avoid inertia and instead set yourself up for future success. Principals: create and communicate a clear plan and vision for your team, and establish a culture of accountability. Advisers: dedicate your energy and resources to hunting, not farming.

As I sit down with principals to review what they and their teams have accomplished, I find that they fall into two distinct groups. There are those who have a "can do" attitude, and those who have every reason under the sun why they "can't do."

You can guess how they perform relative to each other, but I will forge ahead anyway: Those who "can't" are really those who "won't." They won't set clear expectations for their teams. They won't define a performance standard for what is expected of advisers in their firm (i.e., behaviorally, as in the number of networking meetings, new prospects that need to be found or production-wise). As they put it, "I don't want to risk having them (advisers) get upset and leave."

The reality is that in 20 years, I can count on one hand the number of producers who have gotten upset when an agency decides that it is going to establish a plan with performance standards, a clear vision and accountability. Those in the "can do" camp have learned this. When I walk into one of their offices, the positive energy is palpable. Everyone on the team knows where the firm is heading and why they are going there. More importantly, each individual knows how their role is helping the team get there.

In the "can do" world, accountability is a positive thing.

As Henry Evans defines it in his book, Winning with Accountability: Accountability is nothing more than "clear commitments that - in the eyes of others - have been met."

Recently, we referred to the Towers Perrin 2007/2008 Global Workforce Study and some of its statistics on employee engagement. We talked about the key factors of employee retention and engagement, including the dynamic that employees are more engaged and more likely to stay with a firm when they know what the mission of the firm is. They feel that what they do is meaningful, they know how it contributes to the overall goal and they feel challenged and inspired by their leaders. This doesn't apply just to our clients - it applies to each and every one of us!

Be a true leader

Almost without exception, the firms that I see growing have leaders who actually lead. In the "can't" and "won't" firms, I predominantly see individuals at the top who get to make decisions (or avoid them) because of their title or equity. They have power and authority, but they do not lead. In some extreme cases, I have actually worked with principals who outright refused to tell their teams what the vision was. Their teams begged them to give them a vision, tell them where they were going and then lead them there - and their pleas fell on deaf ears.

Principals, if you want your firm to survive the next few years, challenge your teams. Understand where you are, and where you've been. Establish where you want to go. Create a plan for next year, and the next three to five years. Share that vision with your entire staff. Solicit their input, and answer their questions.

In the new economy, where change is the new constant, and where you will need the eyes and ears of everyone on your staff, pull them into the vision. Help them to understand the "why" of what you do.

In a "TED Talk" given in September by Simon Sinek, a marketing consultant known for developing "The Golden Circle," a model based on human decision-making that guides organizations in how to inspire people to buy or support any product, company or idea, he stated concisely that "leaders inspire others to action, by getting people to know and believe in their 'why'."

Don't be afraid to talk to your people. And don't be afraid to challenge them to be better!

This is the perfect time to take a little extra time to create and communicate your vision for the future of your team or organization. Spend some time reviewing your current situation, your performance over the past few years, what you did well and what you didn't do so well. Then, come up with a goal for next year, and the next three to five years.

Then comes the fun part: Start to develop your plan to get there. If you are truly bold, invite others to participate in the development of this vision. When others are emotionally invested in the plan, the probability of success goes up dramatically. Another benefit of involving your team in the planning process is that once they become engaged, they will lighten your load. Conversely, the more disengaged your team is, the more work you have to do to achieve success. And that burden grows with every day and week that they become less engaged.

Be a hunter

And advisers, let's not neglect your personal responsibility to do the thing that you were hired to do: produce! In many "can't" and "won't" firms, the language of farming usurps the language of hunting. Instead of establishing goals, and developing personal plans for success, the language of farming takes over. "I would like to write new business, but the demands of servicing my existing clients are just too great." "I would like to write new business, but I just don't trust my staff enough to service my clients the way I want them serviced." Or one that I have begun to hear recently: "I just don't think it makes any sense to go out prospecting right now until we know what is going to happen with health care reform."

There was a saying when I was in the Army: "The maximum effective range of an excuse is zero meters." Make the decision right now, today, to change your own personal direction. Decide that you are going to set and achieve some aggressive goals for yourself, and quit convincing yourself (and others) why you cannot. Join those 3% who are going to take the time to create a plan for next year. Think about why you do what you do, and for whom. This is an important first step.

To paraphrase something that Simon Sinek said, our goal shouldn't be to try and do business with everyone who needs benefits, our goal should be to do business with everyone who believes what we believe - in other words, those people who believe in the importance of using their benefit program to solve the recruitment, retention and engagement puzzle. They will be the ones who understand and appreciate your value proposition.

Then, use the following formula to develop the "How" part of your plan:

* Gross New Commission Goal $____

* Average Gross Commission Per Sale $____

* Closes Needed (1 divided by 2) ____

* Historical Closing Ratio (Qualified Prospects/Closed Sales ) ____

* Qualified Prospects Needed ____

* Openers Needed (Initial qualifying meetings) ____

Once you have figured out the math, identify your "Who" - that is, the people who can introduce you to the opportunities (openers) that you need to meet your goal. Those who create aggressive networking strategies and work toward warm introductions to prospects achieve their goals far more often than cold-callers. And the sales cycle time is shorter as well.

So, as we approach the end of the year, whether you are an adviser or a principal, take this time to reflect on this past year. Decide where you want to be next year, and ask yourself if you have set yourself up for success or failure in getting there. Have a great holiday season! EBA

Dr. Gene Sherman addresses staggering diabetes costs and how you can help your clients curtail them at eba.benefitnews.com/podcasts.