How To Use The January Effect To Make It Your Best Year Ever

There is always a great benefit to the 365-day calendar – the fact that it restarts at January 1, without fail.

It’s an annual window of opportunity for recycling, renewal, rebirth, rejuvenation, rejiggering, retooling, rebooting, and whatever other “re-something” you can think of.

I call it the “January Effect“, and you’re darn right that as a leader, I took full advantage of it – and so should you.

I liken it to the beginning of a football or baseball season, where every team starts over at 0-0, and dreams the big dreams of a Super Bowl or a World Series.

There is a short period of time where there are no deficits, or shortfalls, or catch-ups – the clock is running, but most of the scores aren’t posted until the first week in February (after the books close).

A leader can, and should, take that “rebirth” energy and channel it into the critical momentum that will carry over into the rest of the year.

How can we do this?

If you’re thinking it’s less a matter of numbers and metrics, and more a matter of inspiration and motivation, you’re on the right track.

January is THE month for summoning your best stump speech – that barn burner that you’ve been working on for months – and laying it out there.  With gusto.

Yep, it’s time to BRING IT.

Your team is at their freshest, with the slate wiped relatively clean, and the challenges of the year dead ahead.  What better time to whip them up into a frenzy of execution?

Hit the road, and make that speech “in-person” to as many people as you can.

(I know, for most people it’s going to be Winter  – not a pleasant time to travel, by any means – but at least the fares are lower)

Talk about “the cause“, and how THIS year is going to be THE year for the business – if the team can pull together, and execute the plan.

It’s about creating a keen sense of urgency and excitement, and it just can’t be done with a memo, or an e-mail, or even a video conference.

Talk about the rewards of success  – not only for the company, but for THEM.   The benefits of happy customers.  The “greased wheel” of superior quality and service.   The pride of being on a cohesive and supportive team.

Get it ALL in there, and BRING IT.

Your teammates will feed off the energy you’re bringing to the table – especially since you’ve connected all the dots for them before the year was even a month old.

That’s what’s at stake here- the difference between a roaring start, or a so-so middling one.   That difference is YOU.

Use this last week of the year to work on your stump speech – it’s a great time to do it. Keep it to about 10-15 minutes, and be sure to rehearse it once or twice.

Then, when the time is right in January, BRING IT.

Don’t let the January Effect pass you by.

(and don’t forget to do these 10 things as well, and there’s no telling what you’ll accomplish!)

Lead Well!