The Curse of New Year’s Resolutions

Every year at about this time, many of us sit down and vow that next year we’ll do better. It may be shedding a few pounds and getting fit. It could be enhancing our leadership skills, or tackling a significant project.  

Despite our initial enthusiasm, it’s not long before we slip up. A month or two, if that, and those good intentions are a distant memory.  I call it The Curse of the New Year’s Resolution. We’ve all done it, had similar experiences and for some crazy reason,  continue to set resolutions, thinking this year will be different. 

I’m curious to know why this happens — and happens so consistently — and what we can do to change this pattern. Let’s face it, these resolutions are important to us; achieving them matters. How might this year be different? How might you succeed in achieving one of the resolutions you’ve set?  

There’s a lot going on here, and coming to understand exactly what’s at play is the first step to changing the pattern.  Here are my thoughts on this perennial issue. 

Let’s begin by unpicking what tends to go wrong. 

• We lack clarity: often not clear enough on our priorities, our milestones, or even  what constitutes success for our resolution. 
• We lack accountability. If you’re like me, chances are you’re confident you can achieve this outcome without any support or accountability.  (You can’t)

And because of this, it’s easy to slip up. Let’s face it, life gets in the way. When urgent work matters arise, they take precedence over our (important) personal development goals.

The solution isn’t to make more resolutions – it’s to make fewer, but more meaningful ones. Ones that are linked to your broader leadership vision.  If you can clearly see how achieving your outcome will make you a more impactful or influential leader, you’re more likely to prioritise it when things get busy.

First, choose just one or two goals that would genuinely transform your leadership. Maybe it’s mastering difficult conversations or building a stronger executive presence. By limiting your focus, you give each goal the attention it deserves.

Next, define what success looks like in concrete terms. Instead of “improve leadership skills,”which lacks clarity, specify “complete an executive communication program by June” for example. The more specific you are, the greater your chances of achieving your outcome.

Block off the time in your calendar now for the entire year —  whether it’s weekly exercise sessions or monthly skill-building workshops. Treat these appointments with the same respect you give to board meetings. They are non-negotiable.

Importantly, build in accountability. We so often fail to keep the promises we make to ourselves, but do keep those we make to others. So, share your goals with your mentor, peers, or a leadership coach. This is one of the key advantages of having a leadership coach and regular sessions to check in and discuss progress.  And it often ensures that you actually achieve your goals, and do so more quickly and easily than you would if you were on your own.

Your growth as a leader is about progress, not perfection, and progress beats perfection every time. When setbacks occur (and they will), treat them as data points rather than failures. Adjust your approach, but keep moving forward.

Keep it simple. Make only a few resolutions that truly matter to you, give them the priority and importance they deserve and pursue them intentionally and avoid the Curse of the New Year’s Resolution.

For accountability and support in ensuring your New Year’s resolutions stick, book a call.