As the clock ticks down to the new year, my clients flood me with their grand plans for change. Yet year after year, these resolutions fall by the wayside. As an executive leadership coach, I firmly believe that all business leaders should avoid the trap of New Year’s resolutions altogether. The truth is, these well-intentioned promises are too often nothing more than empty words that fail to deliver real results. But there’s a better way.
Instead of making half-hearted commitments and empty promises, successful leaders should take a different approach, this is what I believe works better:
Be strategizing continuously: Year end solutions, happen once a year, but the best leaders are continuously planning and shifting their goals and strategies throughout the year, rather than just making a year-end resolution.
Be decisive repeatably: The best leaders understand that making decisions is essential to success, and they make these decisions consistently throughout the year, not just at year-end.
Be adaptable consistently: Some business leaders feel pressure to make big, monumental decisions at year-end, but this can cause anxiety for employees. Instead, successful leaders are always in flux, always pivoting, and always adapting throughout the year, not just at year-end.
Be on a development plan regularly: Instead of making promises of who they want to be for the next year, leaders should focus on yearly, monthly, and even daily development plans. This ensures that they are constantly working to improve themselves, rather than just making a resolution at year-end.
Instead of making half-hearted commitments and empty promises, successful leaders should focus on creating a consistent plan for growth and development, making swift and decisive decisions, and embracing a mindset of constant adaptability. These are the hallmarks of true leadership, and they require more than a single resolution at year-end to achieve.
Lead From Within: As the new year approaches, I urge business leaders everywhere to reject the allure of New Year’s resolutions. Instead, commit to a year-round strategy of growth and development, and watch as true success emerges.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
- 12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
- A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
- How to Succeed as A New Leader
- 12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
- 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
- The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
- The Deception Trap of Leadership
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.