January has come and gone, and we’re in February. How are your New Year’s resolutions holding up? What about your organization’s annual strategic or action plan? Have you completed 10%? If so, then you’re right on track. But maybe you’re not. What do you do then?

This month we’re taking a deeper dive into meaningful actions, those small steps now that point us closer to our end goal. Do you recall a few months ago when NASA crashed into an asteroid to move it ever so slightly off course? That micro course correcting then will mean light years of difference as it approaches other interstellar objects.

The same is true for myriad meaningful actions we can take now, both personally and professionally, individually and organizationally, that will create huge differences in the future. Incremental meaningful actions move us closer to where we want to be. Taking a step, however small it may seem at the time, that aligns us closer to our goals, values, or plans, is one way to make the obstacle seem less daunting.

Here are some actions you can take to stay the course:

1. Review your firm’s values and ask yourself these questions:

• • Am I being fair and reasonable when approaching a situation where I feel wronged? Did I contribute to the situation?
  • Am I willing to forgo a client or partnership because our values are not aligned?
  • Do I stand up and support my team?
  • Do I hold myself accountable during difficult or tense situations to do what is right?
  • If I had one extra hour a month, could I use that time to support my community?

2. Review your organization’s action plan and identify priorities to focus on that month. When you created your annual plan, there were likely quarterly goals or milestones to keep you on track. Identifying the key priority for the next 30-60 days will help build a common focus in your team.

3. Identify values-aligned partners. By networking, reading thought leadership pieces, or reviewing media pieces about a potential partner you can discern if another organization’s values align with yours. Take a few moments to check out what others are saying about the company in online review, or what your peers say about the organization.

4. Pilot or leverage a system to manage these actions such as Scrum, Asana, or Teams. There are any number of tools from digital online collaborative spaces to old-school paper planners. Find one that fits your style and tech comfort level, make a plan, write it down, and check it off each week. Anything can be done in bite-sized chunks.

There are many ways we can change our actions for greater impact. We can lead with the behavior we want to see, if only one step at a time.

Do you need a thought partner to help you leverage these actions or values-aligned team support? Reach out to us at info@rbwstrategy.com to see what we can accomplish together.