January feels like a fresh start, doesn’t it? We’ve spent the holidays reassessing 2022, thinking through what worked and what didn’t work in all aspects of our lives and businesses. We’ve sought to analyze our finances, how we spend our time, the efficiency of our teams, and the quality of our relationships. We’ve also solidified that we believe in our purpose and committed to doing the work to ensure it brings us joy.
That means 2023 will be a raging success, right?
It all depends on whether you are moving systematically toward your goals and not counting on momentum alone. Let’s be honest. Aside from its standing as the official beginning to a new year, January is just another month. There’s nothing magical about it. So, while we can (and should) use this time of year as a motivation marker, we must be realistic about what it takes to actually execute our plans if we want to see and experience real progress.
Habits Create More Momentum
Resolutions are an effective way to communicate intention, but there can be an urgency to them, and they can lose momentum over time.
Fast Company quotes Jeremy Campbell, CEO of a performance improvement group, who warns us, “New Year’s resolutions often don’t work because we want instant gratification.” He goes on to say that we may also “tend to do too much.”
Campbell suggests that “habits are more powerful than resolutions” when it comes to change, and we should work toward developing these habits through the following:
- Defining clear business goals
- Breaking them down into incremental steps
- Ensuring we can clearly measure our actions
- Consistency
When it comes to the successful execution of goals, I agree that measurements are critical. Often, companies experience momentum when they first announce an exciting new plan or vision, but then see the enthusiasm wane as day-to-day workloads and challenges begin to take precedence. Again, habits create more momentum.
GSS works with restaurant groups to ensure leaders have the proper measurement tools in place for their unique business, so they can thoughtfully analyze budgets, team performance, and other factors impacting top and bottom lines.
Systems like Restaurant 365 provide relevant data via dashboards to focus on what really matters while also providing operational support that creates better business habits.
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Without a clear strategy, a simplified plan to execute, relevant systems and clear measurement- success may take longer at best, and, at worst, fail to live up to expectations.
Whether your goals include maintaining success from 2022 or a full-scale transformation, financial systems using the power of technology hold your business accountable and if used properly only enhance actions to drive better results.
If you need guidance on strategic planning or more on how high-quality data can move your business forward, please do not hesitate to reach out. We’d love to hear from you.