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As the end of the year approaches, most businesses are wrapping up any outstanding projects and assessing what needs to be carried over into the new year. It’s the perfect time for leaders to meet with employees to discuss what worked, what could be better and how teamwork can help achieve next year’s goals.
Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share some essential items business leaders should achieve before January 1st. Here’s why they believe these 13 tasks belong on your end-of-year to-do list.
Let Your Team Know You Care
Do something personal and thoughtful for your people. It doesn’t have to be expensive. We’ve all been through one of the most challenging times in history. Let your folks know you are thinking of them. Remind them how important they are for the future of your company. A simple conversation goes a long way to say, “I value you and your work.” – Michael Newman, The Bureau of Small Projects
Thank Your Employees
Think about your employees. If your customers are happy, it’s because your employees made them happy. If your shareholders are happy, it’s because your customers are happy, which is because your employees made them happy. Thank them. A little caring goes a long way. – Graham Farrar, Glass House Brands
Reflect on Wins From the Year
Work with your team to reflect on the year. Celebrate the wins and recognize the opportunities. I get inspired because I often forget about all the great work, and I leave the session filled with motivation that any opportunities will be seized the following year. It’s my favorite time of the year! – Brad Canario, Auxly
Collect Team Feedback
No matter what your business has achieved or endured, you need to ensure that a thriving culture remains intact. Send a survey to give your team a chance to have their voices heard regarding any concerns or changes they would like to see or new ideas they want to contribute. Give them an avenue to share feedback freely, which will allow you to create actionable change, strengthen trust and improve engagement. – Mike Weinberger, Unity Rd.
Share Your Gratitude
During the year, we sometimes forget to do the easiest and most powerful thing: Recognize our employees. Take time to send a handwritten thank-you note to team members you work with on a daily basis or others who went above and beyond with a project. Share a video message company-wide that illustrates your gratitude to all your employees. Simple acts of kindness can boost morale and productivity. – Joe Hart, Dale Carnegie & Associates
See What Helpful Changes Can Be Made
Have a meeting and discuss what worked and what didn’t, and have a plan for how you can do better next year. It’s crucial to celebrate your wins, but also check in with everyone and see what can be streamlined. There’s always a place for improvement. – Karina Michel Feld, Tallulah Films
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
Leave Room for Rest
Allow rest to be a part of your professional strategy not just for the end of 2022, but actively throughout 2023 and beyond. It’s when we pause and reflect that creativity, solutions to problems or the next awesome idea shows up; you just need to give it room to! – Ginni Saraswati, Ginni Media
Analyze Your Data
Look back at your goals for the year and review all your tracked efforts. Your KPIs will determine what paid off and what did not. Using this information, you can plan for improvements and double down on successful campaigns. Abstract measures such as quality of engagement, word-of-mouth generated and others are also worth reviewing if you have access to that data. – Dan Serard, Cannabis Creative Group
Host an End-of-Year Meeting
Your leadership team must have an end-of-year meeting. No matter where your business is, you cannot move forward and grow if your decision-makers are not aligned with your company’s goals for the following year. In fact, we do this monthly and quarterly, and it has helped us stay on track as we scaled in 2022 and into 2023! – Victoria Kennedy, Marisa Johnson
Plan for Next Year
The new year starts now! Begin planning for next year now so that you can start hitting the ground running. We’ve been conditioned to create New Year’s resolutions for decades. We end up falling off early in the year because we didn’t properly plan for the consistency of the resolution. Use some time to rest, but definitely utilize some time to plan for the upcoming year. – Marla Matime, The MAR.M Agency LLC
Create Clear Paths to Growth
Leaders should meet with their teams, gather information on what went well and decide where improvement is needed. From there, formulate goals and strategies to implement in the coming year along with timelines to achieve these goals. Create the path to growth for the next year and share these plans with the entire team to inspire and gather support. – Sheila Dedenbach, Heavenly Sweet
Implement an Accountability Group
You need accountability. I have an accountability group that I share my goals with. I’m specific and intentional with those goals. By telling others, I ensure that I actually have someone checking in on me to make sure I don’t come up with any excuses to not reach them. Accountability is probably one of the most important things in achieving difficult things. – Brian D. Evans, BDE Ventures
Review Your Finances
This is the time of year when we make resolutions and finalize our goals for next year. One of the items on your list should be to review your end-of-year finances. It’s important to review your financial statements because this will tell you where you stand financially. You can then set up a plan for the future to reach your financial goals or at least get closer to them. – Kristin Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
