Stop Making Resolutions. Start Building Results.

I walked into my local health club the other day and saw a big, bright sign hanging over the entrance: “Resolutions are easy. Results take action.”

I actually laughed, because it’s true. We’re only a few weeks into the year, and let’s be honest — a whole lot of resolutions have already drifted into the “nice idea” category. And that’s fine for the general public. But for leaders? For teams? For anyone serious about performance? We need more than resolutions. We need plans. We need fundamentals. We need follow-through. Especially in the hospitality industry.

Resolutions Feel Good. Results Do Good.

A resolution is basically a wish with a timestamp. A plan is a commitment with a roadmap. And results come from the work in between.

In hospitality — or any business — success doesn’t show up because we declared it on January 1st. It shows up because we practiced the basics, stayed accountable, and kept showing up long after the excitement wore off.

And the data backs it up. According to Deseret News, “most people quit their resolutions by the second Friday of January — Quitter’s Day. The average resolution doesn’t even make it four months.”

If that were a business strategy, we’d shut it down immediately.

Goals Need Muscle Behind Them

In my book Twist the Familiar, I talk about a simple truth: What gets measured gets done.

Teams don’t succeed because they “intend” to. They succeed because they have:

People love the rewards — the recognition, the wins, the momentum. But those things are earned through repetition, sweat equity, and the willingness to do the unglamorous work.

A Masterclass in Fundamentals

Bob Ladouceur — who wrote the foreword to my book — is a Hall of Fame coach who built one of the most successful football programs in history. His De La Salle teams won 151 straight games, 11 national championships, and 20 undefeated seasons. 

His secret wasn’t magic. It wasn’t hype. It was fundamentals.

“Eighty percent of what we’d do was fundamental-oriented and drill work,” he writes in his excellent book Chasing Perfection. He didn’t expect perfect performance — but he expected perfect effort.

That translates beautifully to business: Perfect effort from open to close. Every day. Not just on January 1st.

As Coach Lad says, “We can’t sprinkle you with fairy dust… You have to earn it and work for it.”

A Simple Framework That Actually Works

Let’s skip the complicated charts and systems no one remembers. Simplicity wins because people can actually use it.

Here’s a clean, practical structure I share with my clients that you can put into play immediately:

1. The Goal (What + Why)

What are we trying to achieve, and why does it matter?

2. The Plan (How + Who + When)

Define the steps. Assign the roles. Set the timeline.

3. Resources Needed

Skills, tools, time, people, money, alliance partnerships, discipline — whatever moves the needle.

4. Signposts & Checkpoints

Regular check-ins. Honest progress reviews. Adjustments when needed.

5. Measurement

How do we know we’ve hit the goal? And can we sustain it?

This is how you turn intention into execution.

Write It Down. Start Small. Build Momentum.

Goals written down are achieved eight times more often than goals that are only spoken. That’s not motivational fluff — that’s data.

Start small. Get early wins. Build confidence. Momentum is a powerful thing.

Strength and Conditioning for Leaders

Success isn’t about shortcuts. It’s about conditioning — mental, operational, and cultural. Coach Lad’s philosophy applies directly to leadership: “you can’t get out of the work.” And that’s the point.

“Auld Lang Syne” may celebrate “days gone by,” but your leadership shouldn’t live there. Leave the resolutions behind. Build systems, habits, and fundamentals that carry you well past Quitter’s Day and into a year of real results.