How to Make Sure the New Year Doesn't End Up Like Last Year

Raise your hand if you've vowed to ensure that this year won't be the same as last year. Okay. Keep reading if you're willing to do the work that's required in order to ensure this doesn't happen to you.

Stop talking about the change you want and start doing. Every year, I have conversations with business owners and executives who say they want to dramatically improve their organizations. Their actions (or shall I say inaction) tells me differently.

You can't get to where you want to go by continuing to do what hasn't worked. You need to take a sharp left.

Stop making resolutions and start taking action. Lots of people make New Year's resolutions. In fact, many make the same one, year after year. Let me explain why resolutions don't work. Say your New Year's resolution is to become a better leader. That's a nice goal that many people can get behind. However, this is a tall order and one that is not measurable. How will you know you are making progress towards achieving your goal? How will you know when you've arrived?

I suggest instead, you break things down and focus on one behavioral change you can do consistently, that will improve your leadership skills. For example, commit to returning all emails from team members within four hours. Or better yet, ask your employees to stop emailing you and suggest they walk into your office when they have a situation that needs your attention.

Make the tough decisions that need to be made. Many of you have people on your team that you know need to go. You've probably been hanging onto them because the moment never seemed right to let them go. I've got news for you. The moment will never be right.

Jot down the names of the people on your team who you would not miss if they went away tomorrow.

Next to each name, write down the date you'll be releasing this person from the organization. No second guessing. Work with your HR team to come up with an equitable plan to transition them out of the company. Then, focus on rebuilding your team, with people who are a better fit for the organization.

Get help if you need it. There are things you can certainly do on your own, in order to have a more successful year. However, if you find that you keep putting the same items on your to-do-list, then that tells me that if you could do it alone, you would have done so already.

Every day that goes by is a missed opportunity. If you need help, go get!

Here's to a more successful year than last year!

? Matuson Consulting, 2019.

In the comments section, tell us the one thing you're going to commit to doing this year, that will make your year better than last year.