Four Resolution Types that Fail (and How to Save Yours)
It’s a tradition each January. We share with our friends and family our New Year’s resolutions to improve ourselves. But as tradition goes, by February we’re chuckling about our naïve January selves. If you’re guilty of falling off the wagon already this year, you and your business are not alone. Studies and surveys show 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail within weeks after January 1st. So how can we do better, and how can we transfer these methods to your business goals?
Here are four types of resolutions we’ve observed fail for our clients; and how to keep both you and your business motivated all year.
The Unrealistic Resolution
Creating unrealistic resolutions, such as “become a Fortune 500 company” as a start-up business, is not realistic (for now) Don’t get us wrong – do dream big. But big dreams do not chart an attainable course within a year. Our targets need to be gradual, sustainable, and supported by good habits. Thinking smaller may not feel inspiring in the short term, but it will lead to inspiring results.
The Vague Resolution
Sometimes, New Year’s resolutions fail simply because they’re too broad: “save more money,” “get organized,” and “be a better communicator” are examples of professional goals that lack any real specificity. This can be problematic for three reasons:
They’re not actionable. It’s difficult to know what exactly you need to do to achieve your goal.
They’re difficult to measure. It’s difficult to create mental milestones of success, as there’s no defined end goal.
They lack accountability. If a goal is too vague, it seems more like an aspiration rather than a practical, real-world target. With no target to aim for, you aren’t accountable for hitting anything.
The vague resolution is like playing darts and ignoring the bullseye of the target. Without aiming toward the bullseye, you’re just throwing darts at the wall.
The Goal-Obsessed Resolution
“Goal-obsessed resolutions” fail when the focus heavily relies on the result, you cheat the process. A resolution to lose 15 pounds can be realized in 12 days by controversial measures, but what is sure to happen a week later? The lost weight is quickly found again. Similarly, declaring a new management system implemented by 4th quarter without regard to valuing the incremental process of small changes will produce frustrated employees and likely a breakdown of processes. By focusing on the pursuit rather than achieving the goal itself develops a healthy set of habits to aid in succeeding. If you need help forming the goals in improving your systems contact Ablesoft to learn about our assessments.
The Resolution out of Leftfield
Often brand-new goals have great intentions, but without established habits and attainability, the scope may be misaligned to your business and what is possible based upon past accomplishments. For instance, setting a personal goal to complete a triathlon this year can generate short-term excitement, but if it’s your first time in the gym, you might want to re-consider your goal. Forming goals in line with your company’s strategy and past-accomplished goals, you are more likely to succeed. Our Marketing team meets quarterly to review our long and short-term business goals. In forming our quarterly goals, we evaluate the previous quarter performance and form the next quarter targets based on our results. In doing so, we are building on what has already been established and encourages forward momentum.
Form Attainable Resolutions with Ablesoft
We may not be able to help you complete that triathlon, but we can help you form manageable resolutions for your information systems. Take our short quiz (here) as a first step in your journey to a more valuable system for your business.