5 New Year’s resolutions your organisation should make

This is the time when many people resolve to make changes large and small in their personal lives, all so they can better themselves and set their lives up for more success in the year ahead. However, I’ve found that adopting a few New Year’s resolutions for business is similarly good practise — at least when you come up with some areas of improvement for an entire company, there’s more accountability than if you’re going it alone.

Of course, we have to acknowledge that all businesses are different, and therefore, I can’t recommend a one-size-fits-all solution that works for every company. However, speaking generally, I’ve found that the following changes to your operations could have a pretty big impact and help you grow that much more in 2021:

1) Prioritise customer service

Every company likes to think they’re aces when it comes to customer service, but ask anyone who’s spent more time than they’d like on hold or received a defective product if that’s actually the case. Entrepreneur magazine says recommitting to elite-level customer service is one of the best ways to grow your customer or client base, and it’s certainly something I’ve found to be true.

The way forward is simple: Collect all the customer complaints you received in 2020 and look for patterns. Was a particular department the problem? Was there a common root cause in your basic processes? Get those answers, and the solutions will become obvious.

New Year? New you.

2) Find ways to take tasks off your plate

Speaking for myself, I’m the kind of manager who prefers to take on more work so I can feel like it’s being done right. But every extra task I take on is time, energy, effectiveness and attention I have to be devoting to a million other things. Sound familiar? A great resolution for any manager, then, is to get more comfortable with delegation; after all, you’re paying your staff to be professionals who are capable of doing their jobs. Let them tackle those tasks!

3) Beef up your website

All too often, small businesses don’t feel like they have the time or resources to devote to creating and maintaining a great website, Just Business notes. Believe me, I’ve looked at plenty of not-so-great sites, both as a professional and a shopper, and you and I both know they can be a real turn-off for would-be customers or clients. I’ve definitely found that setting aside a few thousand dollars a year to keep your website looking good and working well can help a company more than you might think.

4) Investing in employee growth and development

Whether it’s for your entire organisation, the various teams within it, and individual workers (yourself included), you’re probably looking forward to growth of some kind in the months ahead. It’s also a good idea to set goals for that growth so everyone has something to strive for in terms of skills or productivity.

You can also help ensure they hit those goals by providing ongoing training as a new part of your normal operations. I’ve had great success with the training courses offered by ICML, including those related to essential leadership skills and time management.

5) Plan (or re-route) more often

The problem with New Year’s resolutions is that you can start January with all sorts of good intentions, and then by March or April, things are back to how they used to be. It’s a tale as old as time. The Balance Small Business recommends that you take the time to reevaluate where you are in relation to where you want to be. If you’re falling short of your goals, look at why and course correct with an eye toward resilience. Or, if you’ve exceeded your own expectations, revise your goals upward to account for your increased success.