Annual People Audit

2023 is nearly done. At the end of November each year I like to start my closing ceremony. Closing down the year. Part of my annual closing ceremony is to do a review. Review the good, the bad and the ugly!

I like to do an annual people audit.

Who have been your best people this year? Who has supported you, helped you and honoured you? Who are the people who have been there for you? Your best friends, clients, advisers, mentors and supporters? These people contribute to your life, your cause, your energy.

Then there are those who contaminate. Those who contaminate – muddy your waters. They infect your space. They pollute your world. In short, they make your life worse.

Those who contribute – make your day better. They add value. They positively alter your state. These are the people we need to be deliberately spending more time with.

We are time poor. We need to be more discerning. Turn on your inner people detector and stop wasting time with people who don’t suit you!

In my book The Lickable Third, I talk about triaging people. Splitting them into three groups:

Those who you adore, those who you hang around and those you need to throw out.

Those who you adore are your top 10.

Those in the middle are not super important - they add value but are not valuable.

Those is the bottom you need to be aware of. Some are bringing you down, lowering your energy and limiting your world. Some are causing harm. People who hurt you, treat you badly or contaminate your life in someway.

I like to focus on the top and the bottom and create a strategy for each.The top deserve to be celebrated. To be honoured. I do this in several ways.

Write cards or letters to people and tell them how important they are to you and what you love about them.

Buy them a meaningful gift - something that says ‘I know you’, 'I like you’, ‘you are special’.

Take them somewhere special. Give them an experience or quality time.

The bottom need to be put in time out!

They need to be removed from your energy. To have less access and privileges. You don’t need to tell them to explain yourself. You just need to decide. You can write a letter to them that never gets sent. You can have a ceremony and remove their energy from yours.

The important thing is that you are in charge. That you honour those at the top and delete those at the bottom. In our busy overstuffed and overwhelmed modern world, the secret is to do more with less. Spend more time with your most favourite people. Less time worrying about people who don’t reciprocate your efforts.

Who is your person of 2023?