As the new year begins, it is critical to kick off things the right way. Part of being a successful entrepreneur is acknowledging your responsibility as a leader to help your employees feel energized, motivated, and ready to tackle an even bigger and better year. Keeping or elevating a company’s stamina is no easy task, especially because many employees return to work feeling weary after a long and hectic holiday season. But encouraging great energy-levels at the workplace is essential to ensure a prosperous year. Getting the first fiscal quarter right can give your company the momentum it needs to find bigger and better success throughout the year. Starting off on the right foot is important.
As you approach the new year, consider the following to lead your business into the beginning of another successful year:
1. Set professional goals
Take advantage of the natural inclination we all feel at the start of a new year to set new goals and aspirations for yourself and your employees. Define both long-term and short-term goals on a company level, a team level. and an individual employee level. Consider including both achievable and aspirational goals. Start off the year as optimistically as possible by setting the bar high. As you finish out the first quarter, employees can redefine more achievable goals based on actual performance for the year end.
2. Set personal goals
Setting personal goals is just as important as setting professional goals. Encourage your employees to set their own goals for the new year, whether they are family, health, or even spiritual goals. Getting to know the people you work with on a more personal level and acknowledging their aspirations outside of the workforce will help you understand their motivation; you will undoubtedly have a greater insight into the things that matter the most to them. Consequently, having that insight will help you lead your employees more effectively.
Setting personal goals is not just about leading by example. Entrepreneurs tend to put the business above all else, and it’s important for yourself and your personal life that you continue to be aware of the things you hold most dearly outside of the workplace.
3. Don’t forget to look back
While it’s important to look into the future with ambition, don’t forget to acknowledge the past. Take the time to look back at both the positive and negative trends from last year. Evaluate what you and your company did right and what you could have done better and use that to improve your results in this upcoming year. Moreover, communicate this information with your employees. You can meet with them on a one-to-one basis or all together to discuss the past year. Get to know their perspective on how things could improve moving forward; they may have observations on things you have not personally dealt with or ideas that have not occurred to you.
In the end what’s important is that you close the year as a team in order to begin the year as a team. Make sure everyone shares your vision of the company now and assure everyone will share the same proposed goals in the future.