Are you making resolutions or setting goals?

It’s that time of year.

You’re probably thinking about New Year’s resolutions. More sleep. Exercise. Eat better. Quality time with family.

You’re probably also doing business planning. Metrics for your team. Milestones. Quarterly targets. The whole strategic roadmap.

But what about goals for improving your performance as a manager and leader?

Most people treat leadership development like a New Year’s resolution – vague and unfocused. “Be a better listener.” “Communicate more clearly.” No plan. No metrics. No accountability. Meanwhile, they’re building detailed project plans with clear deliverables and weekly check-ins.

Self-development deserves the same rigor you give your business goals. The same planning, accountability, and the same focus on what you can actually control.

2026 Goal Setting: The Power of Three

Having too many goals is as big of a problem as having vague goals. For 2026, I challenge you to make three goals: One personal goal. One business goal. One self-development goal.

Continuing with the power of three, each goal needs three things: be measurable, be behavior-based, and include accountability.

Make Them Measurable

“Lose weight” is not a goal. Neither is “get healthier” or “get more sleep.” If you don’t attach a specific number to it, with a deadline or deadlines, it can’t be measured. “Lose 5 pounds by March 1 and 20 pounds by end of the year” is measurable. You’ve probably heard the saying “That which gets measured gets managed.” A measurable goal gives you a clear target, which makes it far more likely you’ll hit your goal.

Make Them Behavioral

“Lose 5 pounds by March 1st” is measurable, but still a bit amorphous because the end target is clear while the path to get there is vague. After doing research, you might come up with the goal of walking 2 miles every day after lunch. That’s a specific action you can do and track. The added bonus is that you chose the time of day, which sets a trigger for you to do it.

Similarly at work, “Be a better listener” isn’t a goal. It’s a vague target without any real direction. Instead, a great goal might be to ask three questions before offering solutions.

Build In Accountability

We all benefit from being held accountable to our goals. Not because we lack discipline, but because we have too many things to do, interests, interruptions, and distractions. Find an accountability mechanism that works for you. Weekly check-ins with a peer, online groups, telling your boss about your goal and having them check in with you periodically are all good ways to get outside accountability. If that’s not for you, create a todo every Monday morning to check in on your own progress.

Putting it all together: My personal goal for 2026

I’m a big fan of exercise. It feels good when I’m doing it, I feel great when I’ve done it, and it makes me healthier. Just as importantly, it helps my mood. If I’m particularly crabby, I can usually point to having gone a few days without exercise.

The one thing that is most likely to derail my exercise plans is motivation in the moment. Just because it feels good to exercise, doesn’t mean it is easy to get myself out the door.  What’s worse is that once 2:00 rolls around, my motivation drops even further. If I haven’t exercised by 2:00, it’s probably not going to happen.

Having an end goal with smaller interim goals helps me. When things are vague, it’s easy to skip because I am “too busy.” My goal for 2026 is to do the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim in one day. I have done some research and have chosen late September as my target. From there I can figure out how much running and hiking I need to get up to in order to achieve this goal and can build weekly and monthly interim targets. While this helps me to stay motivated, it may not help once 2:00 rolls around. So, I am going to build a plan that includes running or hiking 4 times a week according to a build up plan and those 4 will be accomplished before lunch. Those are the things I will track. Doing the Rim to Rim will just be a celebration of the work I have put in.

Now that I have written this down for you to read, I feel accountable. Feel free to periodically check in with me to see how I am doing on my goal.

Focus on Q1

You don’t need perfect execution for twelve months. You need to build a habit.

By April, your three goals should feel routine. These improvements are no longer challenges – they’re part of the routine. When you no longer need to think about them, you can consider adding new goals if you wish. Or you can just enjoy the fact that you’ve already accomplished more in Q1 than you have in other entire years! Either way is fantastic.

Before Friday

Pick three goals. One for business, one for self-development at work, and one in your personal life. Make them measurable, behavior-based, and find a way to hold yourself accountable.

You already know how to achieve hard goals. Now apply that same capability across all three areas… in a way that works for you and the way your brain works. Write out each goal, along with the plan, the trigger, and the tracking mechanism. I recommend checking in weekly, either by yourself or with an accountability partner.

It’s never too early or too late to start. Whether it’s for a new year, a new quarter, or in response to a major change in life, just do it. Set the goals and then accomplish them.

It’s going to be a great 2026!

Want help building leadership development goals that actually stick? Contact me to discuss speaking or training for your technical leadership team.