New Year Resolutions or New Year Repetitions?

Another year is almost behind us.  Another year is always ahead of us.  What will we do different next year?

Each year, as I think about what I did right and what I did wrong over the past 12 months, I typically come up with the same things.  Work less, work more, work differently, eat less of something, eat more of something, exercise more, exercise less (don't think that one is even physically possible.)  Even though the list is similar to the one I did last year I don't think of it as failure.  Too often we look at our to-do lists as things that will be finished - crossed off the list to never be visited again.  But that is never the case.  What we do each year - whether to exercise or to eat right or to make more time for your significant other - can never be accomplished - only repeated - but hopefully, repeated better. 

If we all could complete our list it would mean that nothing changed from the day we put the initial list together.  Can you ever be in good enough shape to never have to exercise again?  Do you ever get to a point where you don't have to watch what you eat to stay healthy?

Companies are very similar.  Each year most companies put together their plans for the next year.  I'm sure the lists are very much like my personal lists - similar from year to year.  But is that a bad thing?  Does that communicate failure?  Sure there are things that didn't get accomplished.  Did you set a goal of 10% market share growth and only hit 8%?  That's a non-accomplishment on the surface.  But was that 2% shortfall due to the market or the initiative you installed?  If the market shrunk 10% but you grew 8% - I'd count that as a success.  What you need to ask yourself is whether what you did to get the 8% worth repeating - only better?  If so - keep it on your list.   

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

If you want to keep improving the performance of your people and your company - don't always worry about hitting specific numbers - look at the process.  If the process worked - but just not to the level you wanted - tweak it - don't eliminate it.  Using an absolute number (like the 10% share growth) as a criteria for success is way too blunt a metric.  Too many things create that number and many cannot be controlled.  But you can control your focus and your effort.

Each year I try to have a longer list of repetitions than resolutions.  If my resolution list is long it means I didn't do enough things last year.  If my repetition list is long it means I actually did something worth repeating. 

And that my friends is true accomplishment.