Make Your 2021 Great!

Cathie Leimbach • January 7, 2021

One of the outcomes of 2020 for many of us was the opportunity to hit the “pause” button temporarily. It gave us some space to contemplate what worked and what didn’t pre-Covid. Yet, saying goodbye to 2020 hasn’t changed day-to-day life for most of us.

Saying hello to 2021 and embracing the New Year lets us write our own story for the next 12 months. The one thing we can all do is control how we react to the environment within which we work and live. A shift in mindset and some planning can provide an impetus to remain more positive and energized. 


We can decide to focus on the things that matter to us. What would you like to change about your life and your work? And what are a few actions you can take to create that change? The good news is that it isn’t complicated. You can create a simple plan in less than an hour. Selecting the high impact actions to take consistently will yield impactful results.


We’ve all fallen into the trap of New Year’s resolutions. Setting ourselves up for failure because the goals and habits we have identified are not sustainable. It isn’t easy to develop new habits.  We are most successful at achieving them when we work on no more than three areas of improvement and start small.


Here are some ways to get started:

  • Start with the end in mind. Identify what you really want to achieve and how you will get there. 
  • Decide what measures you will have in place to track progress. For example, one of my goals is business growth in 2021. I am monitoring progress by tracking the strategies I am using. And, adjusting if what I am doing is not working.
  • If you have a long list, pick the three most important or most doable ones to work on first.
  • State your desired result in each area.
  • Commit to 2 or 3 actions you will take every day or week towards achieving your desired result.
  • Track your progress daily or weekly.
  • Write down a reward that will motivate you to stay focused but won’t break the bank.


Here is an example from my 2021 action plan. I am focused on experiencing stronger connections with friends, family, and professional contacts. My overall intent is to feel more satisfied with my interpersonal relationships, so my measure will track my level of satisfaction each month.  Here is the breakdown of the actions:

  • Reach out to an extended family member, friend, neighbor, or community member every day.
  • Connect with two professional contacts weekly to stay in touch.
  • Ask how I can help and look for ways to make a positive impact.


I’ve already connected with several people this week and discovered ways to have physically distanced catchup conversations on the porch or during walks. Having phone conversations with my sister and my aunts and uncles during other walks helped me feel connected to my family. A Zoom call (yes, another one) with a business contact helped me catch up on business and personal news.

My satisfaction with relationships and connections has already risen. What a great reward for taking some very do-able actions consistently.


What parts of your work or personal life would you like to change in 2021? I encourage you not to stay stuck in wishing mode. Develop a goal and action step plan and implement it. Take control of your life and create your preferred future!


I would love to hear about the goals you set for 2021 and your progress towards achieving them!



If you wonder how your family or workplace could develop a plan for 2021, email me, and I will send you a group goal setting process that you can accomplish in an hour. If you might like someone to facilitate the development of a basic 2021 plan for your organization, set an appointment for us to talk. 

Unlock Your Team's Potential: Fix Dysfunction, Boost the Bottom Line!

By Cathie Leimbach • November 4, 2025
Hey team leaders! Ever wonder why some companies soar while others stumble? Patrick Lencioni's bestseller, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , nails it: workplace dysfunctions such as no trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoiding accountability, and ignoring results lead to mediocre performance at best. But here's the good news—smart leadership development changes the game! Start with building trust . Train leaders to open up and be vulnerable. Teams bond, ideas flow, and costly mistakes drop. Next, embrace healthy conflict . Teach team leaders to make it safe for team members to share the pros and cons of current or new ways of doing things. This helps everyone understand different perspectives. Then, drive commitment . Leaders who clarify goals, ask everyone to share their level of buy-in, and address their concerns get everyone bought in. People focus on high value work and get more done. . Hold folks accountable through coaching. Leaders learn to give kind, direct feedback by praising good work and calmly providing more training as needed. Turnover plummets and the quality and quantity of work improves. Finally, focus on results . Be clear on expectations. Keep score by monitoring progress weekly or daily. Acknowledge team wins when the goals are met. Winning sports teams pay attention to these Five Behaviors of a Team. How would a World Series winner have been determined this week without trust among the players and coaches, openness to tough coaching, the whole team working together, players focusing on their specific positions, and getting players around the bases to get the top score? Every workplace can benefit from these team behaviors as well. Lencioni's research proves it: Companies who prepare their leaders to overcome these 5 common workplace dysfunctions, improve the culture and see huge financial gains. Invest in your leaders today. Your bottom line will thank you! Click here to learn more about the painful cost of team dysfunction.

Quiet Cracking: Why Burnout Is Harder to Spot—and Fix—Than You Think

By Cathie Leimbach • October 28, 2025
Based on Jen Colletta’s article To Tackle ‘Quiet Cracking,’ Start with Transformation in These 3 Areas.