New Year, New Goals, Better Strategy
The new year brings fresh energy, big ideas and a sense of renewed possibility. It’s the time when many companies set ambitious goals, from improving company culture to boosting revenue. But if you’re like most goal-setters, by the time February rolls around, those well-intentioned resolutions have already slipped to the back burner.
Sound familiar?
It’s frustrating to set big, bold goals, only to watch them lose steam mere weeks into the year. So, why does this happen — and more importantly, how can you avoid it? Let’s dive into some of the most common reasons companies struggle to stay on track and explore practical strategies that reinforce your momentum all year long.
The Fresh Start Fallacy
It’s easy to get excited when the calendar flips. The beginning of a new year feels like the perfect time to start fresh, set new targets and rally your team around ambitious goals. The promise of new opportunities and challenges is energizing!
But here’s the catch: setting a goal is easy. The challenge is turning that goal into a plan that’s sustainable and actionable. When goals are vague or lofty, they often remain well-meaning intentions rather than concrete actions.
Take a moment and answer the following:
- Did you set clear, measurable milestones for your company’s goals this year?
- Are those milestones broken down into smaller, actionable steps for your team to follow?
- Do you have accountability structures in place to keep everyone on track?
If not, rest assured those ambitious plans will be forgotten, drowned out by day-to-day operations or distracted by the next “urgent” task that comes your way.
Why Companies Struggle to Stay on Track
If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “Where did the time go? We were so pumped at the beginning of the year!” then you’re in good company. There are several reasons company goals get derailed, and it’s not because of a lack of effort or desire.
Lack of Clear Action Plans
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Well, in business, it’s true.
Without a clear roadmap, it’s hard to know what steps will help reach your goals. Vague goals like “improve customer service” or “increase team engagement” can’t give you the necessary details to make meaningful progress.
It’s like trying to reach a destination without a map or GPS. You might know where you want to go, but without directions, it’s easy to get lost or distracted along the way.
Try This:
Instead of setting an overarching goal like “increase revenue by 20%,” break that down into smaller, measurable targets. For example, “increase sales by 5% each quarter” or “launch three new products by Q2.” These smaller milestones give you clear checkpoints and keep the focus on incremental progress.
By breaking down big goals, you’ll not only stay on track but also feel a sense of accomplishment with each milestone you reach — and so will your team.
Competing Priorities
As a business owner and leader, you’re juggling multiple priorities at once. There’s always something urgent that demands attention, and sometimes those urgent matters can accidentally overshadow long-term strategic goals. It’s easy to let the whirlwind of daily demands crowd out the necessary focus that keeps goals moving forward.
When’s the last time you were so caught up in putting out fires that you had to push your most important goal to the next week, the next month — or, if we’re being honest, the next quarter?
Try This:
These urgent tasks, while necessary, aren’t as important as your long-term strategic goals. You (and your team) need to learn how to distinguish between urgency and importance.
You can use specific tools to help categorize tasks and projects, embrace delegating or deprioritizing tasks that are less important in the grand scheme of things, build dedicated time blocks into your schedule and regularly review the true priorities at hand.
No Accountability
When ownership of a goal isn’t clearly defined, it’s easy to let things slide. Everyone assumes someone else will take care of it, and before long, it’s too late. Accountability isn’t just about assigning blame if things go wrong; it’s about creating a system of support that helps everyone stay on track.
Without clear accountability, even the most detailed goals remain vague aspirations instead of tangible results.
Try This:
Set clear expectations for who is responsible for what, then hold regular check-ins to track progress. Whether it’s weekly or monthly meetings, having a regular cadence for progress reviews helps you identify roadblocks early and make adjustments as needed.
By making accountability part of your culture, it becomes easier to keep everyone aligned and motivated.
Resistance to Change
Change is hard for humans — it’s our nature to resist the possibility of discomfort, even for the greater good. People get comfortable with the way things are, so when you introduce new ways of working, you’re bound to face pushback.
It’s important to recognize that achieving your goals will require change and that you’ll need to guide your team through that change.
Try This:
When your plan is strategically sound and all your bases are covered, you’ll eventually be able to get through to naysayers and reveal the overall vision. But first, you need a culture that embraces learning, feedback and adaptation. Encourage your team to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes and keep pushing forward even when things get tough.
Strategic Plans and Executive Coaching Will Help You Stay on Track
If you find it challenging to stick to your goals (New Year’s or otherwise), stop doing it alone.
Our expert business consultants like The Lyons Group can help you:
- Break your goals into actionable, achievable milestones.
- Stay accountable to long-term planning.
- Develop your leadership skills and resilience in the face of challenges.
- Create a strategic roadmap for success.
If you’re dealing with competing priorities, resistance to change or just need an external perspective on what isn’t working, we’ll give you the directions to stay on course.
Get Business Consulting
It’s easy to let good intentions slip away, but with the right strategies, this will be the year you stick to your business goals. If you’re ready to make sure you start the new year on the right foot, let’s get started with a conversation.
Contact us today for a free 30-minute introductory consultation to explore how The Lyons Group can help you achieve your 2025 goals.
Let’s turn your resolutions into results.