Last December, I did my post on <a href="http://leadchangegroup.com/reflection-and-planning/" target="_blank">Reflection</a>. As we start the year, it is appropriate to touch on the topic of starting the year right. As a leader, it is important to close the year strong. However, it is even more important to start the new year strong. A good start creates momentum that can help you sustain a level of performance for the year.

In reviewing your year-end plan, if you’re working with your team, it is important to communicate the plan and highlight the milestones. This way your team knows what the goals are. By sharing the plan, you can also tie it back to your vision and objectives. This can help people connect aspects of their work to why we’re doing what we’re doing. This will also help people focus on the team’s overall goals.

After communicating your plan, you can follow that session with monthly coffee-corner meetings. Coffee corners are mini meetings with an audience of less than 50 people. This creates an intimate session in which people will not feel pressured to ask questions. During these sessions, you can report the progress made and pinpoint which milestone has been met, what the highlights are, and open the forum for Q&amp;A. This session allows you to stay connected with your people and listen to their viewpoint or perspective. You can also use the session to engage and motivate your people by thanking them for their contributions.

To stay competitive in the marketplace, I believe that a strong start is a must, because it gives you the opportunity to get ahead and adjust your moves accordingly. When you fall behind, you don’t have the luxury to take the appropriate time to adjust your moves.

I’ll close this post by saying that communication is a must to getting a good start. Start 2017 strong and may you have a great year.