Four resolutions to consider for 2024

Yes, it’s that time of year again where we reflect on last year and plan for this.
For leaders, the start of a new year is opportune for growth plans and new strategies. However, setting resolutions is the easy part. The real challenge is sticking to them or frankly just remembering them as the year unfolds. The next equally hard bit is inspiring others in your teams and organisations to remember to adopt them.

Here are some resolutions to consider for 2024…

1. Set Clear Goals: there is nothing worse than a woolly one.

And for heaven’s sake don’t make it by committee. As a leader you can research what would make a real difference to performance outcomes and listen to all the voices around you but after that you set the goals. It is why you are paid.

Goals, resolutions, missions, whatever you want to call them, should be short and precise so you and others can remember them. Revisit them often. You might find after a few months you have reached them (or not of course) and so may need a reset. But that’s business life.

My book Willpower has a chapter on goal setting that you may find useful.

2.Prioritise Employee Well-being.

Post pandemic, we are facing a mental health crisis so implement policies that support the well-being of your employees, such as flexible work arrangements and mental health resources. Ensure that managers are trained to deliver supportively on these initiatives. It’s not enough to have them on file.

3.Invest in Professional Development.

Prioritise ongoing learning, not just for you but also for your team. Allocate resources for training, workshops, and coaching initiatives that can enhance skills and capabilities. And of course, ensure that participants relay their learning to their peers so that new ideas are distributed and with repetition are remembered. As the deliverer of such learning experiences, I’m astounded when leaders don’t follow up assiduously on expensive training and coaching, supporting the learners when they try out their new skills at work. Some even, believe it or not, actively undermine.

4. Encourage Innovation.

Have some fun with new ideas. Fostering creativity and innovation means supporting and rewarding these ideas and being open to experimentation and failure. Not for the faint hearted I know but you can trial a new idea in a small way without going full tonto.

So, bring on 2024. Happy New Year!