Goodbye resolutions, hello values

A framework for developing and aligning with your leadership values

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It’s that time of year. As we wind down—in some combination of indulgence and rest—it’s natural to find yourself reflecting. Both on the year behind us, and the one to come.

Values over resolutions

It’s also a time of extra guilt. We’re pressured to think about New Year’s resolutions as soon as the first “Best Of” lists start debuting. Could we become fitter, more efficient, better overall? Could we be more creative, more effective leaders? The answer, it seems, is always yes. The start date is always January 1st, when you’ll either succeed at beginning your new, better life… or not.

The threat of our New Year's resolutions hangs over the holiday season, prompting us to anticipate our own failure. They attempt to correct what has gone awry the year before, only highlighting the gaps but with the pressure of performance.

This mindset leads people to think in terms of newness, of adopting new and radical patterns of behavior and habits. But, ample research tells us this doesn’t work.

As Demary writes,

“New Year’s resolutions are abandoned so often that their abandonment is woven into American culture. A local newscaster speaks over stock footage of round bellies jiggling on treadmills in gyms, and, at the end of the segment, offers a reminder that it’s okay if resolutions are forgotten, because there’s always next year, and no one achieves their resolutions anyway. Failure is assured, or implied.”

To me, this encapsulates the demoralizing aspect of resolutions: their pattern is all or nothing, yes or no. You either succeed 100% or you fail absolutely.

This kind of thinking is especially detrimental for leaders, and prevents them from being able to truly effect transformation and guide evolution. To avoid this, I often coach leaders to replace resolutions with a process of value-alignment.

Unlike resolutions, value-alignment can bring you closer to being the leader you want to be. And while they can be identified—or revisited—any time of year, I believe the natural reset that the new year brings can be an opportunity to start off with clarity and priority around your values.

Authenticity leads to sustainability