Do you feel like your excitement and ambitions at the start of the year don't often match your practice and the reality at the end? You're not alone. We tend to get overly excited and ambitious as we start a new year, and rather than setting ourselves up to succeed, we do the opposite. 

At the beginning of the year, Maliasili’s CEO, Fred Nelson, shared some thoughts with our team to help us all focus on goals and performance for the year ahead. Here are some of the key points he shared.

Understand your most critical work →

Prioritization is the essence of strategy - identifying the most critical (or 'strategic') things that need to be done, and then being clear on what you need to do to deliver. You can apply this same logic to your work; you cannot do everything. So what is the most important thing you need to accomplish for yourself, your team and your organization to achieve the desired impact? 

Here is a quick question: If you could only do 3 things this year, what would they be?  

Less is more →

Relatedly, 'less can be more'. Sometimes a few big, important goals serve much better as a way of organizing work and life, than a long list of goals and objectives, which end up being more like ‘tasks’ than actual goals. Avoid ‘laundry lists’ of aspirations that are generally and imprecisely defined (e.g. the always popular new year's resolutions to ‘read more’ or ‘eat healthy' or ‘exercise more’) and find ways to clearly define and focus on what you really can achieve.   
 

Focus on outcomes, not products or processes →

When thinking about your goals, focus on the end result you want to achieve. It can be easier to first identify the task or the deliverable, and then ask yourself “What would completing this work really achieve?“  

Goals usually create something new, improve something you already do, or innovate on an existing idea. Focus on that big change and make sure your goals speak to what you really want to achieve by the end of the year.
 

Balance ambition and focus →

This is critical, but easier said than done. We all rightfully want to challenge ourselves and lay out some big ideas at the beginning of the year. But balancing ambition that drives growth and your professional development, while remaining focused, is where success lies. This is not easy to do. You can find a productive balance by working closely with your team - direct reports, managers, supervisors or mentors - to manage your plans and ambitions together. Sometimes you’re not your best critic, and goal setting doesn’t need to be done in isolation - in fact, it’s better to get support or help.
    

Find ways to 'force' accountability for delivery →

How often do we fail to meet our new goals or work targets? A key lesson here is to find ways to 'force' commitment to deliver against your goals. What does 'forcing commitment' look like?   

Find ways that make you accountable. Set a deadline to make a presentation to your team, or to launch a report to a group of stakeholders. If you know you will have to deliver some piece of work in public, then there is no escaping or postponing the commitment - which will likely ensure that you focus and do your best work! These types of deadlines that bring in others serve as a kind of ‘forcing mechanism’, and are invaluable for keeping you accountable.

Finally, don't just jump in, take time to reflect →

Create some 'quiet space' to think, look back and reflect. What worked last year, what didn't work and why? How can you do things differently and more efficiently this year? 

Take a fresh look at the pieces of work you left off last year, read some things that generate creative thinking, and structure conversations that give you an external perspective. Get advice and feedback from your loved ones at home and your colleagues in the workspace. And throughout the year, find moments to stop and reflect.

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