Excited About the New Year? Make Resolutions That Inspire Confidence and Calm
How can you set goals that ground you in a rapidly changing world?
As the New Year approaches, leaders everywhere are reflecting on the year gone by and considering their aspirations for the year ahead. Setting New Year’s resolutions is a time-honoured tradition, yet for many leaders, it can feel daunting—especially in the face of uncertainty, complexity, and constant change.
How can resolutions help leaders not only survive but thrive in these conditions?
In my view, the answer lies in incorporating adaptive stability: the ability to stay grounded while remaining flexible enough to navigate an ever-changing environment.
The Debate Around New Year’s Resolutions
There is an ongoing debate about whether setting New Year’s resolutions is truly beneficial or if it simply sets us up for disappointment. Many of us have experienced the familiar cycle: setting ambitious goals on January 1, only to abandon them by mid-month. For some, this leads to frustration or inadequacy.
Melody Beattie once wrote, “The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.” Yet, for many leaders, the blank page can feel overwhelming. Uncertainty about the future, competing priorities, and the sheer complexity of today’s challenges often leave leaders stuck in a cycle of reactive decision-making rather than proactive goal-setting.
Despite this, I’ve always enjoyed the ritual of looking back at the year that was and thinking about what I want the next year to be. For me, it’s less about rigid resolutions and more about setting a tone or intention.
One practice I’ve found particularly meaningful is choosing a single word to describe my vision for the year. This year, my word is expansion: expanding the space around me and, more importantly, expanding my ability to help my clients reach their goals.
Studies on goal-setting and leadership, such as those by Locke and Latham, show that clear and specific goals improve performance. However, many hesitate to set resolutions, fearing they may become irrelevant in a dynamic world. This tension can lead to a lack of direction, reducing effectiveness and confidence.
Letting Go Before Moving Forward
In Ecuador, Columbia and other parts of Latin America, people celebrate the ritual of Año Viejo to symbolically let go of the old year. Effigies representing negative experiences are burned, creating a cathartic release and making space for fresh beginnings.
Leaders can draw inspiration from this tradition by reflecting on what didn’t go well, identifying lessons learned, and letting go of emotional weight. This clears the path for setting intentional resolutions with a renewed sense of clarity and purpose.
To reflect on what to let go, ask yourself:
What challenges did I face this year, and what lessons did they teach me?
How can I acknowledge those lessons and let go of frustration or regret?
What space do I want to create for growth and opportunity in the year ahead?
The Importance of Setting Resolutions
Once you’ve cleared emotional and mental clutter, setting resolutions becomes an act of intentionality and hope. As J.K. Rowling said, “We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.” Resolutions provide a framework for growth, clarity, and resilience.
Consider Richard Branson, known for his adventurous spirit and entrepreneurial drive. Branson often credits clear goal-setting as a cornerstone of his success. His resolution to pursue space travel through Virgin Galactic propelled the project forward despite immense challenges. His story shows how bold resolutions drive progress while teaching resilience and flexibility.
Making New Year’s resolutions for achieving adaptive stability is like planting a resilient garden designed to thrive in unpredictable weather. Each resolution is a seed rooted in core values, nurtured with consistent effort, and adapted to changing conditions, ensuring growth despite uncertainty.
Introducing the STABLE Framework
To make resolutions work in today’s dynamic environment, leaders need a structured yet flexible approach. The STABLE Framework offers six principles for goal-setting:
Specific: Set clear, actionable goals that provide direction.
Time-Aware: Define realistic timelines but allow room for flexibility.
Aligned: Ensure resolutions align with values, vision, and organisational priorities.
Balanced: Balance professional objectives with personal wellbeing to avoid burnout.
Level-Headed: Maintain calm and composure when navigating uncertainty.
Evolving: Design goals that can be reassessed and adjusted as circumstances change.
This framework transforms goal-setting from a rigid exercise into a dynamic tool for growth and resilience.
Starting the Year Sustainably
Jennifer Garvey Berger, a thought leader in leadership and complexity, emphasises embracing uncertainty as a catalyst for learning and growth. She encourages leaders to focus on experimentation and small wins rather than striving for perfection.
With this in mind, here are some ideas:
Reflect Before You Resolve: Review the past year. What worked? Where did you struggle? Use these insights to inform your resolutions.
Let Go of the Old: Identify what didn’t serve you this year. Write it down, reflect on the lessons, and symbolically let it go—whether by burning a note, shredding it, or simply releasing the thought.
Prioritise Resilience: Set goals that support mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Resilient leaders handle complexity better and inspire their teams.
Focus on Outcomes, Not Outputs: Commit to desired results (e.g., meaningful professional connections) rather than rigid activities (e.g., attending networking events).
Break Goals into Manageable Steps: Avoid overwhelming yourself with vague resolutions. Start small and build momentum.
Embrace Flexibility: Check in quarterly to reassess and refine your goals as needed.
Celebrate Progress: Recognise and reward small achievements to stay motivated.
Setting New Year’s resolutions isn’t about predicting the future or creating an unyielding roadmap. It’s about crafting a vision aligned with your values, embracing adaptability, and building resilience to navigate challenges. The ritual of letting go—like Año Viejo—provides a powerful foundation for this process. As Melody Beattie reminds us, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.” Approaching the New Year with gratitude for past lessons and optimism for the future can transform challenges into opportunities.
By adopting the STABLE Framework, reflecting on the past year, and starting sustainably, leaders can achieve adaptive stability. This approach makes resolutions achievable and positions you to lead with confidence and clarity in the year ahead.
