Five Strategic New Year’s Resolutions for 2020

A New Year offers the chance to inject new energy and ideas into your business. Here’s a checklist of five things we recommend you do to get 2020 off to a winning start!

1. Tackle an energy blocker

Think about something everyone feels is not as it should be but rumbles on as a problem. Confront the issue in January and get it sorted out now.

2. Ask people how they feel

Every organisation has an engagement survey, but they are a bit of a blunt instrument. This January invest time in talking personally to as many people in your organisation as you can, at all levels, and ask them how they feel about the business and where the issues and opportunities are. Look for patterns and do something about the feedback from February.

3. Target your meeting culture

Nearly everybody bemoans the fact that everyone spends too much time in ineffective meetings. It’s a terrible productivity destroyer. Commit to making meetings shorter, sharper and more effective. Try having fewer of them too but when you do have them make sure actions are followed up crisply and with real commitment.

4. Review your reviews

The six-monthly one-on-one review with your boss is a critical communication / action point in every employee’s calendar. Make sure every manager and employee make the most of this opportunity to honestly review progress and focus on the six months ahead. A good one-on-one review is unlikely to be shorter than two hours.

5. Consider your company values

Most companies have five to seven values which are indistinct and evolve every few years with a new CEO. Most employees can remember three of them at most and few, if any, actually think about how their behaviour impacts the business. Think about your company's values. Are they distinctive and energising? Do they mean anything to people? Do people really commit to living by them? Good values are a great differentiator.