5 New Year’s Resolutions Every Business Owner Should Make in 2016

Isn’t the start of a new year exciting?

It really is a blank slate.

We can plan new projects, make different goals, buy a gym membership and use it three times. The possibilities are endless.

Kidding aside, it really is a great time to make some positive changes.

We recently discussed how you can improve your HR function in 2016. Now, let’s discuss how you can improve you.

Below I offer 5 resolutions every business owner should make this year. From personal improvement to giving back, these simple resolutions can help improve your leadership, and ultimately, your business as well.

Let’s just vow to give them more of a fighting chance than that weekly Jillian Michael’s workout, okay?

5 resolutions business owners should make this year:

1. Set Goals

Setting realistic – but challenging! – goals for your business is a great way to ensure you start the year off right. In fact, you probably already have some set. That’s great! But, friendly reminder: There’s more to this resolution than just creating the goals. Be sure to determine a strategy for how you will measure the goals throughout the year. And don’t forget to effectively communicate them to staff members so that everyone is on board.

2. Delegate

Say it with me: My name is _____ and I’m a delegation-avoider. We’re all guilty of this at times, I think. After all, we didn’t become business owners by letting others do our work! But here’s your “therapy”: You hired your employees for a reason. Don’t be afraid to delegate work to them. You’ll be surprised what you can get done if you ask for a little help. (Now, if you don’t trust your employees to do a good job, then that’s a whole other story, and you should contact us right away for help recruiting better team members.)

3. Learn Something New

We are busy! But that’s no excuse for our professional skills to be stuck at a standstill. This year, pick a specific skill you’d like to learn – and make a resolution to learn it! A good example is to learn about – and stay up-to-date with – 2016 employment legislation changes that impact your business. This is going to be a big year for executive orders and employment law legislation. (To make it easier for yourself, sign up for our newsletter – click here or sign up in the sidebar at right – for monthly updates.)

4. Give Back

Charity involvement benefits the community you work in. It also builds team members’ ability to connect with others less fortunate and with other team members. Seek out organizations you and your employees feel strongly about to support this year. You’ll find the age-old saying really is true, “It is better to give than to receive.”

5. Say thanks

With our busy schedules, it can be easy to forget to thank those who make our crazy, fun job possible – our employees. Make a point to regularly thank your employees throughout the year in personal ways – write an email, send a card, or simply say “thanks” in person. It can go a long way.