Where is Your Business Heading in 2022?

Cathie Leimbach • January 4, 2022

You have likely thought about where you wish your business to head in 2022. But have you thought about HOW it is going to get there? 


A wish without a plan is just a dream.  Our default approach tends to be to continue doing what we have always done, which gets the same results as we have always been getting. If your wish is to achieve different results in 2022, it is necessary to be intentional about doing work differently.  


You may not see how you can take a day or two to develop a 2022 plan for your business.  However, spending a few hours to outline your business strategy for the year is essential if you really wish to achieve more during the 12 months ahead. 


First, write down how you will measure your business success this year. What dollar amount of revenue or profit are you aiming for? Choose an amount that balances your desire for growth with what is realistically possible.  You may wish to measure your success by the number of clients you retain or the number you gain. Employee morale or employee retention might be one of your success factors.  If you list several potential metrics, select the 1, 2, or 3 that you will focus on for the year. Achieving desired results requires us to focus on our priorities. If we give equal attention to more than three priorities, we dilute our energy and resources so much that we will be lucky to achieve even one of these important goals.


Second, review last year’s business practices and consider what you will continue and what changes would be beneficial.

  • Write down actions you will continue doing to support this year’s success. 
  • Jot down the actions you will stop doing, the things you did last year that hindered your success or won’t help you achieve the success you want in 2022.  For example, maybe you were spending five hours per week developing relationships in an industry you haven’t been serving. Despite your diligence, not only did you not get clients, you didn’t even get leads. It might be best for you to stop pursuing clients in that industry.
  • Jot down actions you will start doing. What new activities do you think could help you achieve your 2022 goals? For example, what industries are you currently serving well? In which of them is the market not saturated? Perhaps you should be devoting your relationship development efforts here.

 

Third, review your priority goals and the actions you think you might stop or start. Decide one, two, or three of these changes that could have significant impact on achieving your priority goals and are feasible to implement in your organization. Perhaps there is one thing you will stop doing and two things you will start doing.  Just as we dilute our efforts too much if we focus on more than three business results, we will have little success in changing our actions if we focus on changing our behavior in more than three areas. 

 

Fourth, determine how you will monitor your progress towards achieving your priority goals and making critical changes. Decide how and when you will report progress to your team.

 

Fifth, communicate your brief business plan to all members of your team. Share your one to three priority goals and your one to three areas of change. Most people are resistant to change so it is important to change just a few things at a time. Maintain stability for you and your team members by continuing with several of your most effective business practices from recent years.  Follow through with your monitoring and communication plan all year long so your team members see the benefits of doing the hard work involved with change and focusing on desired organizational goals.

 

Best wishes for 2022 to you and the work and people you lead!

They Can't Read Your Mind. Tell Them You Appreciate Them.

By Cathie Leimbach • October 13, 2026
"I thought you knew I appreciated your work." Kate hadn't planned to say those words in a one-to-one. But when a team member told her, "I'm never quite sure whether you think I'm doing a good job," she was caught off guard. He was someone she relied on. He helped new colleagues settle in, handled difficult customers calmly, and often spotted problems before they got bigger. Of course she valued him. Then she tried to remember the last time she'd told him, and what she'd actually said. There was a quick "Thanks, everyone" at the end of a meeting. A "Great work" in a team email. But she couldn't recall ever telling him what she had noticed about his contribution. Kate had been worried about rising absences and a team that seemed less involved. Praise wouldn't explain or fix every issue. Still, this conversation raised a question she hadn't considered: how many people on her team were feeling their efforts weren’t noticed or appreciated? It's easy to assume people know we appreciate them, especially the ones who quietly get on with the job. We turn our attention to whatever needs fixing, and we don’t acknowledge the people who are doing good work. Meanwhile, people who never receive thanks start to wonder if they are noticed, pull back, stop offering their ideas, and start job hunting elsewhere. Try this week: Look for one contribution each person on your team is making . Tell them what you notice about their work and why it matters. Instead of simply saying, "Good job," try: "Thanks for staying ten minutes past shift change to walk Jamie through the new changeover on Line 3. She now knows exactly what to do instead of guessing." Three elements of meaningful praise are: Be specific. Name what they did and the effect it had. Keep it natural and proportionate. A quiet word can mean a lot. Recognition doesn’t have to be in front of the whole team. Let it stand on its own. Don’t add a "but" or a new request right after the positive feedback. Sincere, specific praise helps people feel seen. It builds rapport because you're showing you notice how they contribute, not just whether the task got done. And people are more likely to speak up and share ideas when they feel heard and connected to the people they work with.  Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ How often does your appreciation go unspoken? Join our Workplace Conversations Clinic on October 19, 3:00 to 3:30 PM, live on Zoom. You'll practice giving praise that feels natural and helps people feel valued. You'll also have the chance to practice other difficult workplace conversations, from raising concerns to working through disagreements. Reserve your place here!

“All Good” is Never a Good Response

By Cathie Leimbach • October 6, 2026
“All good,” they said. But Sarah wasn’t so sure. In the team meeting, just two people did most of the talking. Team members who once offered ideas just waited for the meeting to end. Three people called in 'sick' on the day of our monthly planning and progress-review meeting. Today was just another day with her disengaged team. Sarah realized that whenever she asked others how things were going, she got the same response: “All good.” It never failed that within a day or two of what seemed like positive feedback, a problem surfaced. It might be that they didn't know how to proceed with a new project. Or they were trying to hide a mistake they made. Things definitely were not "All Good". Then, she thought about the questions she usually asked. “Everything on track?” “Will that be ready by Friday?” She wanted to know how her people were progressing with their work. But she had asked closed-ended questions, so she got brief responses that told her nothing. At her next one-to-one, she asked, “How have things been for you lately?” “Fine. Busy.” She almost moved on. But, instead, she dug a bit deeper. “What’s been making things especially busy?” This time, the answer was different. There were competing demands she hadn’t known about. A concern that had gone unspoken. And a feeling that nobody really talked anymore unless they needed help with something urgent. This one conversation provided important information. It gave her a place to start moving forward to improve engagement and results. If you can relate to Sarah's struggles, here are some tips to help you stay on top of how your employees' work is truly going. Absenteeism and disengagement can have many causes. We can't begin to understand them by accepting thoughtless answers. We need to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing what’s really happening. Interpersonal rapport is essential. It grows through small moments: asking a thoughtful question, listening without rushing to solve a concern, remembering what someone said, and checking back. This week, try asking a couple of specific open-ended questions such as: “What’s been going well for you?" And "What’s been difficult?” Let the answers guide your next questions. Give the person room to share. Then, a few days later, follow up. “You mentioned the client report deadline was going to be hard to meet. How’s it going?” Then, "What help do you need?" When you take a few minutes for such check-ins, employees feel more supported than if you just ask, “How are you?”, as you are walking by. It indicates: I heard your concern. I remembered. I’m interested. I want you to succeed. Your team members are more likely to get involved, be honest with you, and share ideas when they feel heard and connected to the people they work with. Want to get more comfortable starting those conversations? Join our Workplace Conversations Clinic on October 19 to practice building interpersonal rapport through conversations that matter.  Reserve your place → [registration link]