26 Dec Going Beyond New Year Resolutions
How to increase the likelihood of translating your grand GOALS into tangible RESULTS in 2024
One of the habits of high performers
High performers have certain habits that differentiate them from the rest of the pack.
We all have equal time each week, month, and year. Some individuals and organizations perform better than their peers and competitors because they’ve certain crucial habits that empower them to become and stay HIGH PERFORMERS throughout the year.
As we approach 2024, I’d like to share with you one of the habits of high performers: The ability to craft GOLAS that translate into RESULTS.
A quick disclaimer: High performers don’t just prioritize, strategize, and plan alone. They’re equally DOERS!
High performers are self-disciplined and make themselves accountable. Otherwise, we’ve many extraordinary planners. Unfortunately, the latter fail to follow through with their plans.
From 1 to 10, 1 being Poor Performer and 10 being High Performer, how do you evaluate yourself and your team? If you score less than 7, you should plan to become a high-performer person and team in 2024. And we’re here to support you in achieving that!
The genesis of developing one of the habits of high performers
Without knowing, I developed one of the habits of high performers in Ethiopia before I came to the US in 2005.
I must have picked this habit from one of the books I read. Otherwise, back then, no one around me was practicing this habit.
At the end of each year, I used to:
- Evaluate my past year’s performance, draw lessons, express gratitude, and
- Prioritize, strategize, and plan for the upcoming year.
Was I good, effective, and did it right? No!
But it was a good beginning. The most important step at that early stage was the habit itself, not the process and approaches I used. The habit is still with me; the processes, frameworks, tools, and approaches I employed evolved over the years…
Before developing this high-performance habit, year after year, I used to come up with New Year Resolutions like everybody else…
What is wrong with traditional New Year Resolutions?
As you might have already experienced, many of the wish lists on our New Year Resolutions never came to pass. Why? Simple. The following important ingredients were missing:
- The lists weren’t aligned with WHO we are and our WHY. We didn’t take them personally. The stakes weren’t high enough. We could easily drop many of our wishes without feeling guilty.
- They didn’t invoke powerful emotions from within. Most New Year Resolutions were too small, regular, and ordinary. They weren’t big and inspirational enough. Without emotional attachments to our goals, quitting is inevitable when the going gets tough.
- We lacked a well-defined framework. Setting goals that translate into results is a process. The well-defined framework we use to pass through the process of goal setting, prioritizing, and planning, the better we can get better outcomes.
- The goals were too vague. Most New Year Resolutions tend to be too generic. It is hard to take specific actions without coming up with refined goals and breaking them down into actionable objectives. And no wonder many of the wish lists have never been translated into reality.
- The absence of accountability. Few people have self-discipline. High performers make themselves accountable. If one lacks self-discipline, the next best thing is to find an accountability partner such as a spouse, friend, coach, or mentor. Your accountability partner makes you follow through with your plans. If you don’t have one, we can help…
As we approach the New Year, stop and evaluate to see which of the above ingredients are missing from your past efforts to come up with your New Year’s strategic plan as a person and/or a group.
What shifts should you make to see results immediately?
Here are a couple of things you should do to increase the likelihood of translating your New Year goals into tangible results in 2024:
- From a one-time act to a process over a few months. I used to come up with my New Year Resolutions and then strategic plans on the eve of New Year’s Day. However, I changed my approach and began to see outstanding results. Now, I start to think about next year’s milestones in October and finalize the entire process in the first quarter of the New Year.
- From linear approach to multidimensional. When I started, I used to produce a ‘To Do List’, very linear. Now, I employ different prioritizing, strategizing, and planning frameworks and tools to come up with achievable goals and strategic plans.
- From wishful thinking to critical and strategic thinking. Looking back, I hardly employed my imagination. I rarely taxed my brain to think hard. Now, I slow down, meditate, pray, reflect, and think critically whenever I sit down to work on my goals and strategic plan. Most of the time, I engage in this exercise while fasting and in the early hours while I’m at my peak.
- On top of the above shifts, over the years, I also improved how I craft my and my team’s strategic plans…
What do I do to help professionals, leaders, and teams?
After making the above changes and getting tangible results in my career and leadership, I didn’t stop there. I vowed to help others become high performers. I began:
- Writing blogs and incorporating the lessons I learned in some of my books.
- Coaching individual professionals to refine their goals and come up with Strategic Plans.
- Training teams on Goalsetting, Priority and Time management, and Strategic Thinking and Planning.
- Facilitating retreats for organizations to craft their Strategic Plans.
How can we help you and/or your team?
If you need help with your team’s or organization’s 2024 (and beyond) strategic plan, contact our team via [email protected], and we can arrange a strategic planning session virtually or in person.
If you want to take your career and/or leadership to the next level, why not consider our one-on-one coaching program?
We also offer group coaching if you want to go through the program with your team.
To learn more about our coaching programs, click here…
Happy New Year!