Strategy | Why New Year is the perfect time to take stock

The end of one year and the start of another – the gateway to a new decade – is the perfect time to take stock on a personal level and in respect of business.

We return to the workplace after the long festive break with enough ‘distance’ between what were doing before the holiday and picking up the threads, to take a breath and see things with greater clarity.

Those of us who wish to set new personal goals, will review what we have undertaken and achieved in the past year, set ourselves new targets and identify ways of achieving them. This may include further professional development, the acquisition of new skills, improved methods of working, or improving processes.

Stepping into the new year can be a cathartic experience on a personal level when our ‘resolutions’ may centre around health, happiness and wellbeing and ways to strike a better work/life balance.
As leaders and managers within business, the new year may also be a key time for strategic planning. For some of us, a new financial year beckons, new objectives, new budgets – new destinations on which we must decide on how to travel. But how can we decide on the best approach without first looking back at the routes we have already taken?