“New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday.” Charles Lamb
Once a year, a few times in a lifetime, we are given an official, societally supported, new slate chock full of beginnings and infinite possibility. Now’s the time to leverage the universal and monumental New Year with your team.
Full of new commitments, renewed efforts and the potential to be in this year the person, the team, the organization you’ve always envisioned.
The New Year is a phenomenal culture opportunity to leverage both “common ground” and “shared identity” for your team and root down into that sense of:
- BRING IT ON!
- We’ve got this!
- We’re in this together!
- This is OUR time!
- We’re in it to win it!
Take a deep, fresh, breath. Now take another one. That’s the smell of 2018 potential.
Imagine that it’s December 31st, 2018. What will your team have created, made possible for themselves, the organization and those you serve?
Mark this time. Celebrate the successes of 2017. Think through all the work you accomplished in 2017 that laid the foundation for ROCKIN’ IT in 2018. Also consider – is there anything to let go of so the past doesn’t define the future? Enjoy the release glow of the bonfire.
Post loud and proud your top three strategic goals for 2018 along with the mini-milestones and bite-size actions towards meaningful progress in the first quarter. Put together a 30-day challenge. Nerd out. Color code. Describe vision. Let the sparks fly.
In addition to a plan, play. Create a rally cry, a mantra, a secret agent handshake or a theme song for the year.
Own that this is THE year. THE year in which we rise to…
“And now we welcome the New Year. Full of things that have never been.” Rainer Maria Rilke
Wishing you and your team a full throttle, wild smiled, all in, giant leap into the New Year!
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Kris Boesch is the CEO and Founder of Choose People, a company that transforms company cultures, increases employee happiness and boosts the bottom-line. She is a nationally renowned speaker and workplace culture expert. Boesch is also the author of Culture Works: How to Create Happiness in the Workplace and developer of the Choose People 360° Culture Audit. Kris is also a proud mother, dancing diva and dog lover.
