STOP! Dont Make New Years Resolutions!!

It is again that time of the year when many are planning to break into the new year yet again with their own resolutions to change something they are not happy about. Most common resolutions people make at this time are related to their health, wealth, relationships, or their career (I am going to lose 50 pounds by this time next year; I am going to have $100,000 in my bank in a year; I am going to have 500 people in my LinkedIn network; I am going to seek a director title at my next review, no matter how the company is doing; etc.). Although each one of these resolutions is noble what ennobles you is keeping them and not breaking them. Studies have shown that nearly 99% of the resolutions are broken by the time February rolls around; nearly 100% of them within 60 days.

Instead, there is a better way to improve your life, and you can start doing that from January 1, 2015, by planning for that improvement right now. That better way is to stop making resolutions for the New Year and start making goals that translate into your changed behavior for an improved life. For example, instead of resolving to lose 50 pounds in a year, set a goal that includes shifting to a healthier diet, an exercise regimen that increases both in time and intensity (continuous improvement), and taking in fewer calories than you currently do (use your smart phone to monitor intake calories). With this approach you now have a changed life-style that aligns with your goal for a healthier future.

When making such a plan involve others, who can make this plan successful. Work with your spouse or partner to team-up with them to make this happen. Ask your spouse to select a menu of dishes that meet your calorie, nutrition, and taste preferences and work out a plan (including an appropriate budget for groceries to accommodate these changes). So, what I am suggesting is to taking a different approach to making a change that becomes a part of your everyday life, rather that a burden that is nearly impossible to honor (I want to lose 50 lbs.!). With the approach I am proposing here, this now becomes a sweet byproduct of your commitment. But, since you did not set out to lose 50 lbs., if you lost only 45, instead, you should be OK with it, with a lifestyle you can smile about!

As a career and life coach I have come across patterns that my clients fall into when it comes to managing their life and their careers. So, to help you set goals for the New Year Id like to offer some suggestions in the areas that are common to growing ones career and improving their life and you may use a mix of these hacks to set your own goals for the New Year and beyond:

1. Increase job engagement: Studies have shown that only about 20% of the workforce is engaged in their work. Nearly 50% are not engaged, with almost 30% actively disengaged (walking zombies) in what they do. True joy comes from the work in which you are engaged. So, find the source of your dis-engagement and make changes in the way you approach your work.
2. Communicate better: In my engagement with clients I find that regardless of their station (including CEOs) most people are poor communicators. This includes both oral and written communication. Of all the leadership skills you can pursue this one has the potential of huge payoff throughout your life. So, set a goal of learning how to speak and write better and insist that those within your ecosystem follow suit by setting an example for them. Youd be amazed how quickly you start seeing the impact of your change. This will also improve the quality of your work-life.
3. Improve your brand: A brand is a promise you make to others of how you create and deliver value. So, even if you are not in the market to change jobs you must keep your focus on defining, building, and expanding your brand presence. There are many books and articles on this topic, so go ahead and find some avenues for brand building that work for you and your style.
4. Expand your network: This hack is tied to the one above (#4). Build and expand your network not within the ambit of just your influence (your colleagues, members of your professional society, etc.), but by reaching out to those that are meaningful for your professional growth. For example, if you are now working in IT Project Management, but want to expand your career in Product Management find those who belong to the Product Management association and work with those influencers to bring them in your network and start associating with them and their work.
5. Learn storytelling: When I look at the rsums that clients bring to me before our engagement I am struck by their uniform banality. Most of them read like a job description in the past tense. From reading these rsums it is impossible to tell them apart. If, instead, you learn how to concisely tell your leadership accomplishments in a story your rsum will have a very different energy. Read more about this in my blogs on how to write an Inductive Rsum.
6. Stop taking orders: This hack is related to my #1 above: If you want to improve your engagement look for opportunities that go beyond doing merely what your boss wants you to do. In any organization there are countless opportunities for showing your leadership that goes beyond merely delivering what the boss asked. Once you spot something that is worth doing and that improves your boss standing find a way to get this initiative rolling and write a great story in a bullet form as you revise your rsum. Youd be surprised how it improves your brand (#3), increases your engagement (#1), and gives a great story to tell (#5) to boot.
7. Toxic colleagues: Sometimes it is hard to avoid toxic colleagues (including a bad boss) at work. Many such colleagues are also bullies and they are charming enough to suck you into their world of toxic thinking and abusive behavior. Learn to stay away from them or get away to find yourself a more nurturing environment. This can be the single most important change you make to improve your life during the New Year!
8. Mentoring: Find yourself others who can help you in growing your mindset. Find some highly branded people within your own company to get mentorship and even from others outside your company to expand your reach and get yourself on a growth path. Mentor someone you know who can benefit from your wisdom. What I find interesting is that both help you grow, by giving and by taking in the benefits from others wisdom.
9. Growth mindset: Studies have shown that those with a fixed mindset soon tank in their careers or endeavors. Those even with limited cognitive abilities (IQ) have shown amazing outcomes by embracing the growth mindset. A growth mindset is rooted in curiosity, whereas a fixed minded is rooted in complacency and insecurity. A classic example of this is the genius of all times, Albert Einstein. His IQ was not that impressive compared to many of his peers, but his eternal curiosity and persistence helped him tackle some of the most complex challenges of our day then and now, nearly 60 years after his passing. His famous quote, Imagination is more important than knowledge should be an inspiration to us all! Read Mindset, the New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck and get yourself on the growth path.
10. Gratitude: Studies have shown that those, who show gratitude for what they are and have, are far more likely to go ahead in their pursuits than those who grumble and are querulous. Take stock of your station and be grateful for what you have and who you are. Practice this every day in your life.

Now that you learned about these 10 hacks to improve your life and your career take another look at your resolve to making yet another New Years resolution and get your life back on track to grow and to flourish!

Good luck and Happy New Year!

About Author

Dilip has distinguished himself as LinkedIn’s #1 career coach from among a global pool of over 1,000 peers ever since LinkedIn started ranking them professionally (LinkedIn selected 23 categories of professionals for this ranking and published this ranking from 2006 until 2012). Having worked with over 6,000 clients from all walks of professions and having worked with nearly the entire spectrum of age groups—from high-school graduates about to enter college to those in their 70s, not knowing what to do with their retirement—Dilip has developed a unique approach to bringing meaning to their professional and personal lives. Dilip’s professional success lies in his ability to codify what he has learned in his own varied life (he has changed careers four times and is currently in his fifth) and from those of his clients, and to apply the essence of that learning to each coaching situation. After getting his B.Tech. (Honors) from IIT-Bombay and Master’s in electrical engineering(MSEE) from Stanford University, Dilip worked at various organizations, starting as an individual contributor and then progressing to head an engineering organization of a division of a high-tech company, with $2B in sales, in California’s Silicon Valley. His current interest in coaching resulted from his career experiences spanning nearly four decades, at four very diverse organizations–and industries, including a major conglomerate in India, and from what it takes to re-invent oneself time and again, especially after a lay-off and with constraints that are beyond your control. During the 45-plus years since his graduation, Dilip has reinvented himself time and again to explore new career horizons. When he left the corporate world, as head of engineering of a technology company, he started his own technology consulting business, helping high-tech and biotech companies streamline their product development processes. Dilip’s third career was working as a marketing consultant helping Fortune-500 companies dramatically improve their sales, based on a novel concept. It is during this work that Dilip realized that the greatest challenge most corporations face is available leadership resources and effectiveness; too many followers looking up to rudderless leadership. Dilip then decided to work with corporations helping them understand the leadership process and how to increase leadership effectiveness at every level. Soon afterwards, when the job-market tanked in Silicon Valley in 2001, Dilip changed his career track yet again and decided to work initially with many high-tech refugees, who wanted expert guidance in their reinvention and reemployment. Quickly, Dilip expanded his practice to help professionals from all walks of life. Now in his fifth career, Dilip works with professionals in the Silicon Valley and around the world helping with reinvention to get their dream jobs or vocations. As a career counselor and life coach, Dilip’s focus has been career transitions for professionals at all levels and engaging them in a purposeful pursuit. Working with them, he has developed many groundbreaking approaches to career transition that are now published in five books, his weekly blogs, and hundreds of articles. He has worked with those looking for a change in their careers–re-invention–and jobs at levels ranging from CEOs to hospital orderlies. He has developed numerous seminars and workshops to complement his individual coaching for helping others with making career and life transitions. Dilip’s central theme in his practice is to help clients discover their latent genius and then build a value proposition around it to articulate a strong verbal brand. Throughout this journey, Dilip has come up with many groundbreaking practices such as an Inductive Résumé and the Genius Extraction Tool. Dilip owns two patents, has two publications in the Harvard Business Review and has led a CEO roundtable for Chief Executive on Customer Loyalty. Both Amazon and B&N list numerous reviews on his five books. Dilip is also listed in Who’s Who, has appeared several times on CNN Headline News/Comcast Local Edition, as well as in the San Francisco Chronicle in its career columns. Dilip is a contributing writer to several publications. Dilip is a sought-after speaker at public and private forums on jobs, careers, leadership challenges, and how to be an effective leader.

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