Just Because the Calendar Changes Doesn’t Mean the Trends Will
Every year we look forward to the fresh beginning that comes with the new year. In fact, I have written recently in how we can leverage this calendar change to jump-start the new year in meaningful ways. However, just because the calendar changes doesn’t mean that the current trends will change with it. Behaviors and results act a lot like inertia. Unless they are acted upon, they will continue along the same trajectory.
The flipping of the calendar merely provides the impetus for changing a behavior that will lead to new or different results. This doesn’t happen overnight. It will take sustained change.
Many goals and new year objectives fail quickly because we hope that somehow the new year will bring a magical transformation of what has been happening. We become frustrated and resigned to the status quo when after a few weeks in the new year our results continue to suffer. It seems as though we are stuck in the same issues we were facing at the end of the previous year.
It is why planning and preparing for the coming year is so critical. We need a plan to change behaviors and our actions to influence the results in new ways. Then we will need grit to stick with the new activities. They will not work immediately. It will take time to have an impact. The more we prepare for the realities of the new year, the better off we will be. That doesn’t mean that we accept mediocre results. It just highlights the necessity to have a set of objectives that reflect reality in the early portion of the year. If you trend sales is a negative three or four percent, you are not suddenly going to be positive three or four percent.
Be realistic with yourself and your team and lay out the plan that will move you in the right direction over the course of the first several weeks of the year. Measure your trajectory and make your corrections to that. Ensure they everyone understands the objective is to first focus on the actions and behaviors of change to get back on track instead of fixing everything on January 1st.
Having a plan that is realistic in nature and communication that clearly outlines the path to change will help everyone understand what the first several weeks or even months of the year will look like. This allows everyone to know where they should be and remain positive about the longer-term outcome that you are seeking. Avoid believing that magic happens overnight on New Year’s Eve and put your plan into place to change for the year ahead and not just the first day.
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