"Pam Harper is a person whom I consider top-notch at asking the tough questions and helping organizations bring new strategies to life."

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Welcome Back! This special issue of The Harper Report is dedicated to leadership resolutions to help you accelerate progress in the New Year As always, I welcome your feedback and suggestions. Happy Holidays!

1. I resolve to commit to long-term performance for my company. This includes resisting pressures to be guided solely by quarterly numbers and to develop a strategy that is anchored by long term objectives and solid values.
2. I resolve to model company values so that others perceive that our value statement is credible. This includes adjusting policies, procedures, and customs as necessary.
3. I resolve to regularly monitor both major and minor trends and issues of internal stakeholders (employees) and external stakeholders (e.g., customers, competitors, suppliers, alliance partners, etc). I will remember that a collection of minor changes can have major impacts.
4. I resolve to uncover assumptions about opportunities and challenges before jumping to next steps and solutions. I’ll look for concrete evidence to support “facts,” and I’ll remember that there’s more than one path to get to our objectives.
5. I resolve to set realistic expectations before launching strategies and initiatives, based upon my organization’s current capability and willingness to implement the plan. I will also enroll others in a realistic definition of “progress” under the circumstances.
6. I resolve to keep “credibility killers” from interfering with communication. I will especially remember that one of the biggest “killers” is inconsistency between message content (e.g., “I need this information right away”) and how it’s sent (e.g., regular email where it may get buried or deleted as spam).
7. I resolve to uncover the issues behind others’ resistance before moving to solutions. If we are gridlocked, I further resolve to uncover assumptions about the “what,” “who,” “where,” “when,” and “how” of the problem in order to negotiate a solution that meets our most important needs.
8. I resolve not to let my plans get in the way of my objectives. I realize that even the best-laid plans are subject to changes that can’t be anticipated. Sometimes the most effective course of action is to shift direction to minimize problems and take advantage of unexpected opportunities.