This is the year! Keys to making those 2018 New Year’s resolutions stick

You’d hardly consider an 85% failure rate a successful endeavor. But those are the long-shot odds a New Year’s resolution has of succeeding.

Most likely you and the people you manage have made some personal resolutions for 2018 … but what about some team-wide or department-wide ones? That can drive you to even greater success this year.

Write it, track it, reinforce it

Check out these strategies that will put you in the minority of those whose resolutions stick:

• Put it on paper. Holding a meeting and saying your department is more committed to a customer-service approach is one thing. Having each member of your team write it down and hang it in his or her cube is another. Whatever your goal, you might even post a large version of your resolution in the department to keep everyone’s mind on it.
• Have staffers track their progress. Think about getting each team member a journal where he or she can record the progress toward your collective goal. Say the goal is to keep workspaces neater. Sharing progress periodically can keep the team motivated and even offer staffers other ideas to stay on track.
• Ratchet up the positive feedback. If new habits feel better than the old ones, people won’t want to go back to them! So you’ll want to keep an extra vigilant eye (especially in the oh-so-critical first month) and look for every chance to encourage your people to keep up the good work.

(Adapted in part from “14 Tips for Resolutions That Stick in the New Year,” at http://www.lifehack.org/articles/ lifehack/14-tips-for-resolutions-that-stick-in-the-new-year.html)