Harvard Business Review

Setting work goals is easy. Accomplishing them is another matter. If you want your resolutions to stick, you need to:

• Commit publicly: Write down your goals, and share them with your manager, peers, direct reports, friends, and family.

• Create a plan of action: Think step-by-step tactics. If your goal is, for example, to develop a more trusting relationship with your direct reports, take them to lunch individually and start engaging with them on a more personal level.

• Recruit support: Colleagues, mentors, your significant other, or a professional coach can be both your cheering squad and sounding board.

• Set milestones: As time goes by, it becomes more difficult to stay motivated. You need regular signals that reinforce what you’re working toward, such as a reminder on your phone or a recurring “meeting” on your calendar for thinking about what your goals mean to you and your career.

Adapted from “Make Your Work Resolutions Stick” by Rebecca Knight.