Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2026 24 T he door has closed on 2025, but it's swinging wide open with possibilities in the new year. To turn those possibilities into realities, you need to set goals, develop a plan, and put your plan into action. The first step is to recognize where you are today and where you want to be in the new year. If you're stuck in a job that no longer challenges you or doesn't offer opportunities to advance your career, you need to take action. The cornerstone of success is built on four simple principles: belief, dedication, focus, and skill. When you embrace these principles, you can move forward. • Belief: If you continue to believe what you've always believed, you'll continue to act as you've always acted – and you'll get what you have always gotten. If you want different results in your life and work, you must believe in yourself. All you have to do is change your mind. What you believe will manifest itself. Use positive thinking on a daily basis to reinforce the goals you've set – then watch them begin to happen. Believe in yourself. Don't allow low self-esteem or feelings of inadequacy to flood your mind. Your thoughts determine your beliefs. Self-imposed limitations are the biggest barriers to your success – they can become crippling. Self-confidence is power. Remember this: you must be willing to take risks, to step out of your comfort zone. • Dedication: Successful people understand that dedication is non- negotiable. You must be dedicated to your course and your goals from the beginning. Identify the reason your company exists, and dedicate yourself to that purpose. If your company's main purpose is customer satisfaction, then be dedicated to that. Let every decision you make be influenced by the goal of standing out and moving up. • Focus: The object of target shooting is to aim for the center, and the same standard applies to success. When you're focused you don't scatter your energy on unnecessary activities. You'll achieve your goals, and you'll have an enjoyable sense of achievement and fulfillment. I'd like to caution you, however, not to have a backup plan. Why? Because if you do, you're subconsciously telling yourself that it's okay to fail because you have something to fall back on. Winners think differently. They fall forward because they know there's nothing to catch them if they fall backward. • Skills: It's critical to develop a plan, to communicate and work well with your team members, and to be continuously creative and productive. Manage your time, which means always completing your work on time, and arriving at meetings on time and fully prepared. When you show these skills, you'll earn respect and build a good reputation. Conduct a self-assessment to identify your skills, attitude, work ethic, strengths, aspirations, and your opportunities for improvement. Seek constructive feedback from your managers, coworkers, friends, family members, and even a few clients and customers you trust. Then use what they tell you to build on your capabilities and create a plan of attack to improve on your shortcomings. I also urge you never to stop learning. Take online courses, and read at least one book on personal development every month. Enroll in mentoring or training programs, and take advantage of tuition reimbursement opportunities. Successful people create a written blueprint for where they want to go in their life and work. Set goals that are clear and measurable and that have a timeline. Make yourself indispensable. Don't wait for instruction or direction; figure out what needs to be done, and do it. In a nutshell, you must seek out opportunities and recognize them when they arise. Then you must take advantage of them to improve your position, your skills, and your prospects. You are a work in progress. Remember this: nothing will happen until you make it happen. John Tschohl Customer Service John Tschohl is the founder and president of Service Quality Institute, a global leader in customer service. He is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on all aspects of customer service, and is the author of several books including Moving Up: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Success. His monthly strategic newsletter is available online at no cost at www.customer-service.com. PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS: Create a blueprint for life and work RO

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