By: Courtney Beam

New Year’s Resolutions are a constant buzz this time of year. As we begin 2019, resolutions are often on everyone’s mind. This begs the question, does making a professional resolution for 2019 really determine the course of the year? If I create a resolution for my team, will there be an impact? The answer to this question certainly depends on the spirit in which the resolution was made and whether or not you, as the leader, have any buy-in from your team.

Instead of focusing a team resolution on a behavior you’d like to stop, shift your focus to selecting a few team priorities or goals for the year. As the team’s leader, it’s important to ensure your team members understand the “why” of the goals or priorities and also seek out their input into how the goals will be accomplished. Below are a few tips that I recommend for creating a “resolution” or goal for your team in the new year.

Narrow it Down: Select 3-5 priorities or goals for the year. We believe that having more than 5 key priorities will result in your team becoming unfocused on the goals at hand. One tip is to break down the priorities by quarter. Ensure that all of the priorities align with the strategic vision for the next year and several following. This will ensure your mission, vision and values are achieved as a team.

Communicate: As the leader, aim to articulate the priorities in which the team will be focusing on. It’s important to also focus on communicating the importance or the “why” of the priorities. Once you’ve gained insight from your team members, ensure your communication is clear and consistent. One tip is to have a “weekly huddle” or standing meeting to highlight successes and areas of help needed. This is a great way to keep the communication lines open between you and your team.

Measure Your Success: Understanding the ideal outcomes behind key business decisions is necessary to determine your success when tackling your priorities or “resolutions” for the year. Make sure that any goals you set can be easily measured for success. If you don’t know what success looks like, how will you know when you achieved it?

Establish a Plan: As a coach once told me, “Hope is not a strategy.” Establishing a resolution but not putting into place will reduce your chance for success. Draft your plan with smaller, more attainable goals that can be divided out over time to make a larger goal seem more achievable.

All this to say, if you are itching to have a professional New Year’s Resolution for your team, we’d encourage you to put one into place, just make sure you are doing it effectively!

What resolutions or goals have you established for yourself or your team professionally? We’d love to hear what your strategies are for accomplishing your goals.