We’ll soon be celebrating another New Year.

By the time you read this, you might have done it already.

Hopefully, when you take that inevitable moment between now and 2023 to look back over the last twelve months, you'll see a lot to be happy about. As far as business is concerned, if a few things didn't go so well or a couple of your leadership decisions might have been better, that's what being a leader or a manager is all about—making mistakes and learning from them. I'm sure there are a few touchy-feely 'John Lewis ad' experts out there who would tell us we should value our mistakes more than our successes because what they teach us is the real Christmas gift, but I'm not one of those. All I know is that no leader is perfect, no business has never had its problems, and it's how you deal with those problems, keep your people motivated and your business on track that's most important. The chances are, whether 2022 has been a good year or a challenging year, you've managed to do that. In my book, that's something to be very proud of. As a leader, I hope you've told your team members you're proud of them too.

And that's the end of my sentimental Christmas speech; now let's get down to what this article's really about.

Does your business have a personal agenda?
Do you have a quarterly, six-month, or twelve-month plan for the year?
What do you want your business to achieve in 2023?
Where do you want yourself and your business to be this time next year?

You're a leader. You should have most of those answers already. If you don't, this is the perfect time to think about those questions and put your 2023 plan together.

It's the first question that gives most people the biggest problem.

Every business should have a personal agenda.

Every business has an agenda, i.e., a reason for being. If it doesn't have a reason for being, it won't be a business because it won't have any clients and it won't make any money.

But it's the businesses that are driven by a personal agenda that tend to be the most successful because their leaders have an emotional investment in making the business work and they've instilled their passion for the business in their managers and team members too. Business leaders like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandberg and Elon Musk weren't/aren't mega-successful because they had an idea, sat in a big chair, and stayed out of the way while everybody else did the work. They're successful because they're driven by what they do, and they keep evolving and innovating to make their businesses better. They don't always get it right – all of the people on that list have had some very public failures, and the person at the end of the list is having a pretty tumultuous end of 2022 – and some of them (like Tim Cook and Sheryl Sandberg) didn't come onboard until well after the business was established, but they're all leaders at the top of their game a) because they work in a business that started with a personal agenda, and b) the personal agenda that started the business is in alignment with their own personal agenda.

In other words, they love what they do because what they do is who they are.

That's why they're such outstanding leaders and why their employees will still work for them and investors will continue investing in them even when things get rocky.

What’s your business’s reason for being?
Does it still align with your core beliefs as a leader?
Are you and your business still heading in the same direction?

You'll know if the fit between you and the business you’re leading needs to be corrected because the markers will be easy to see when you look back over the last twelve months. For example, maybe there was a time when you conflicted with the people on your team for reasons you just wanted to resolve and push through but they still grind your gears when you think about them.

Or it could be as simple as you do not feel as motivated as you used to, and it's been going on for so long that it's more than just a temporary slump.

If you have any suspicion that you and your business are splitting off onto different tracks, this is the time to sift through those feelings carefully. It doesn't mean you've got to question your leadership abilities; it just means examining what isn't sitting right and looking for ways to get you and your business back in alignment. This next few weeks between Christmas and New Year is an excellent time to do it, so you can start 2023 with renewed enthusiasm and a plan to make things personal again between you and your business.

Every leader should have a plan.

You've undoubtedly heard that smug quote, "Failing to plan is planning to fail".

You might also have heard of the 5P rule: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance, which is also the most tedious tongue-twister ever invented. Say it quickly five times at the Christmas party and watch everyone around you suddenly remember they’ve got somewhere else to be.

The annoying thing is that both the smug quote and the tedious tongue twister are right. Even if you've had a perfect 2022 and your plan for 2023 is to keep doing the same, that's still a plan you've got to do some serious thinking about. Take a look at what’s predicted for your sector over the next six to twelve months, do some research on what your competitors have got lined up, consider your processes and how you could improve them, think about the people who work for you and how you can keep them motivated and productive.

If you don’t have a plan for 2023, start preparing one.

Planning gives you focus.

A strategic 2023 plan will outline exactly what you need to do (and why), what your goals are (and why), and where your checkpoints/landmarks will be. You'll know precisely what you need to do at all times, you'll be better prepared when setbacks appear, and your team members will understand their role and value too. With a plan, you won't spend 2023 running around putting out fires. Instead, you'll stay focused on everything you need to do, and your people will be confident under your leadership.

Planning reduces risk.

Good leaders know that you can only sometimes avoid risks in business. But they also know that it's their responsibility to minimise risks in any way they can. A strategic 2023 plan will allow you to do that because it will give you time to predict obstacles, assess threats, and navigate a safe course through them or around them. Risk planning also lets you consider your people's strengths and weaknesses so that you can develop them into a more formidable team. It might even present you (and them) with opportunities you've never considered before.

Planning improves decision-making.

Something else a strategic 2023 plan will give you is the ability to make faster, better-informed decisions. That's because your decisions will be based on your long-term plan, so they're less likely to be reactive half-thought-through decisions that might cause issues further down the line. Also, because everyone in your organisation knows the plan and what they're responsible for achieving, they'll also make improved decisions.

Planning is the key to success, so long as it:

Involves the right people
Has an in-built flexibility to adapt
Includes realistic goals
Everybody is committed to it and prepared to hold themselves accountable if their goals aren't achieved, including you.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. With your personal agenda worked out and your strategic plan in place, you’ll already be starting 2023 in a powerful position.

See you in January!