How to Set New Year’s Resolutions that Foster Company Culture

You’ve made it to the new year, congratulations! There are often a lot of goals and New Year’s resolutions that people make for their personal life. The good news is, there’s a way to set goals in the office that foster company culture.

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Setting team goals for 2022

Maybe your office normally sets goals each New Year. How realistic are the goals normally?

We love the optimism of shooting for the stars, truly. But maybe “Fly to Mars with Elon Musk” isn’t as doable this year. It helps as a team to create a combination of goals that are tangible and goals that are long shots. Creating a balanced list means that there will most likely be moments of checking a goal off the list— which feels great— to learning moments.

One important aspect of setting team goals is speaking in simple terms. The simpler the goal, the easier it will be to reach that goal and check it off the list!

Keep in mind that simple language does not mean vague. Another factor to consider is to keep goals specific. For example, simply stating “In 2022 I want the team to get closer” is hard to navigate because there are no tangible ways to measure the success of a goal. One way to switch the language to be more specific could be, “In 2022 we want to have 10 different team bonding days marked in the calendar.”

See? Much more manageable. If you need help figuring out what team bonding exercises to do, read our blog, “5 team-bonding exercises that don’t suck.”

Creating a Collaborative Culture

So, what happens after you make the perfect list of goals for 2022? A list is only as strong as the collaborative effort that continues on with those goals.

Forbes discusses how to create attainable goals, with the main tips centered around:

“Tangible goals means real results
Accountability
Follow Approach-Oriented goals
Identify pitfalls
Set yourself up for success.”

Let’s dive deeper into how these tips can be implemented into your team.

Accountability in the workplace

As mentioned above, tangible goals will lead to real results. But how does accountability play into reaching a point where real results are accomplished?

Accountability is key.

If the set goals are simple and clear for everyone, then accountability will be easier to implement. For example, using the example above of the goal “In 2022 we want to have 10 different team bonding days marked in the calendar.”

Well, If it’s halfway through 2022 and there has only been one team-bonding activity, with no more planned in sight, then a conversation can be had between the team about how to still make that goal achievable.

Identify internal challenges

The learning process is a part of any goal. As a team, it’s important to identify the internal challenges that could be limiting the ability to achieve the New Year’s resolutions.

Taking a step back and looking at the processes that are set in place is a great way to start looking at internal challenges. What is holding the team back from achieving their goals? It might be resources, time, culture fit, and everything in between that impacts human nature. If the internal challenges are identified and addressed, then a positive company culture is more likely to follow.

Are you positive your company has a positive company culture? Learn the “Five Indications of a Positive Company Culture” on our blog.