Most leaders have been trained to think in terms of goals – setting them, working for them, achieving them. But what if I were to suggest that focusing on goals is one of the less helpful, and potentially adverse, things a leader can do? I know, I know, it sounds a little crazy. But here are two simple reasons why. First, many of the goals we set are more aspirational than practical and so don’t direct action. Second, achieving a goal doesn’t necessarily change anything. I’ll say a bit more about each of these before suggesting an alternative. First, many of the goals we set reflect our aspirations and hopes but are too general or...

I love New Year’s resolutions. They have this way of making you feel like anything is possible. Part of it is the wholly arbitrary and yet incredibly powerful event of the start of a new year itself. Even though we could conceivably start a new year on any day (February 1…or 28th, for that matter), once you choose to count from a certain place, it gives the impression of a new start. January 1st, of course, flows with absolutely no disconnect from December 31, but that’s beside the point. What matters is that we’ve decided to count 1/1 not simply as a continuation of 12/31 but as something new. The other delicious part of New...