Make 2017 Count!

It’s January. The holiday season has come to an end and 2017 is bursting on the scene. I saw this post from a cool guy I follow on Twitter this week: “Is it really a new year if it’s the same us?” Wow. There’s a lot of depth packed into those 43 characters.

In our businesses (and well, life for that matter), how do we respond to that question? If we’re not careful, the real greeting for our customers and friends is simply, “happy year” for there really isn’t anything “new” about it.

So in the spirit of never settling for the status quo, I challenge your thinking and leadership to these three daily strategies that ensure there really is something new about 2017…for both you and your customers.

Forget resolutions. Create action plans.
New years are so often flooded with our wish lists of doing more of this and less of that. And for most people, February 1st arrives and we have already drifted from those grandiose ideals. Why? Resolutions themselves don’t have any teeth. If I want to grow your business in some way, I must have a doable action plan (specific goal tied to time, metrics and accountability). Otherwise, I’ll never reach a real level of success in the business. We talk a “good game” in January of most any year. Without a plan that we keep alive every day in our business those lofty goals gather dust as quickly as the scales in your bathroom (come on, who on the planet doesn’t have a goal of getting more healthy each year?).

Remove the biggest irritant your employees have.
Most employees put up with a “lot” before abandoning your company. It’s the little things that become the big things over time they can’t tolerate. So what are those little things – that attention to detail you are missing that will cause your team to pause, smile and engage in and with your company? Ask them. Don’t worry about the top ten list – focus on one thing. You’ll be amazed at the response of your team.

Just do it.
Nike made this phrase famous but in all reality, no truer words exist in business. Knowing what your are going after is critical (ie: fixing our employees’ greatest irritant). We must have a real plan to get there (ie: more than a resolution). But without this third step nothing moves. What does “just do it” really mean? In the business world it means everyone in your business knows where we are going and their part in getting there. That plan, whatever it is, is visible daily to every employee in the organization. As everyone involved knows his/her part (expectations) and does it (accountability), progress occurs (and we celebrate it).

What will 2017 hold for your business? We want to hear from you! My goal for you is the word “new” can truly be said in your world. Happy NEW Year. Let’s make it happen.