January FAQ – Starting The Year Off Positively

One Friday each month, I dedicate the post to looking at some questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts for them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible. If you have a question about leadership, or just a situation you would like some additional insight on, please email me at Effective Retail Leader. Let’s take a look at this week’s question.

I am excited about the new year and want to ensure I get it started in a positive way, how can I do that most effectively?

The beginning of the year always feels like a fresh start. Truth is, you can pick any point in time to make your fresh start. January first is just a common point for most people that signifies the beginning of a new year, so why not make it a beginning point for your habits and goals. As we find ourselves already at the end of the first month, we already have a reference point for the changes we wanted to make and what has started to stick. Most important, if you don’t feel like you’re where you wanted to be, don’t give up. There are countless studies that show that by this time of year, more than ninety percent of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned.

I applaud the question here, wanting to effectively engage the team to ensure a positive start, and presumably a full year. There are some actions you can take to ensure you are setting yourself and your team up for success. And, I wish they were fancy and flashy, but they are largely made up of the boring basics that always build the strong foundation. The real challenge is the discipline it takes to continue to behave in the critical ways. Let’s take a look at a few things you can do to start, and stay positive for the year.

Set Clear Expectations

This should not be a list of things others have to do. Don’t make this a checklist of things to tell others they have to do. They will not be effective. Rather, tell the story of what you’d like to see as the year progresses and where you would like to see the year-end. You can even use this as a way to engage the team for their ideas. (See below.)

Engage the Team

Writing the vision or whispering it to yourself may be the start, but is not the finish. You must share that vision with everyone. Ask your team for their feedback and ideas on how you can bring that vision to life throughout the year. What are the actions or changes necessary to have that be the reality twelve months from now?

Follow Up and Discuss Progress

Sustained success takes continual work. Schedule regular meetings to review where the vision is and how you are progressing. These are great things to discuss, both as a team, and during your one-on-one status sessions. If you have defined specific mileposts throughout the year, measure yourself along the way.

Measure Movement

While I hate the cliché of ‘what gets measured, gets done’, it is undeniably true. You’ll just want to ensure you are measuring the right things. The problem with the saying is that we feel like we can measure everything and continue to get the same results. The real saying should be, ‘when the right things are measured, the right things get done.’

The last piece of setting yourself and your team up for success this year is to have fun. You should have a rewarding and evening challenging vision and set of goals. That doesn’t mean you cannot have fun along the way. If you are just chasing a task or something at the end of a rainbow, the journey will eventually feel tedious. Continue to evaluate along the way for updates and changes, but also keep it fresh, so you can enjoy the sights and experiences in getting to the finish line.

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