I know most of you are not Jewish. (After all, only 2% of Americans are- with an even lower percentage of humans worldwide.) But, I do know that many of you begin your new companies this time of year. Whether that is because you plan to get a piece of government largesse (and the government fiscal year starts this Sunday) or because your kids started school and you now have a little more time to push the envelope is immaterial.

I, for one, am Jewish. I’m not starting a new business- because I’ve been lucky enough to have started one (among many others) decades ago, modified it for various personal and business circumstances, and plan to continue in that vein. But, I have been spending the last 25 days (the month of Elul to date) considering my previous actions and how I can do things better next year. In the vernacular, that means resolutions. Improving ourselves. Making Goals.

I’ve written many blogs about resolutions; this won’t be another one. (If you want to read about resolutions check out these previous posts: 29 September 2010 2 April 2012 29 Sept 2012 1 Jan 2016 . They should provide plenty of guidelines how to set valuable goals and resolutions.)

The trick, however, is not about making resolutions. Because making a resolution or setting a goal is just the start of the battle. We have to follow through. We have to have a plan that makes those goals not a potentiality, but a certainty. That is the consideration that we Jews take to heart this time of year. We’ve sought forgiveness for what actions failed to make the mark, that left others with less than satisfactory feelings. But, that’s not enough. We have to make our plans to make this next year better than the one we are about to finish.

Maybe that is exactly why I believe in business plans. And, personal life plans. Because these documents are not just concrete lists of our goals- but they elucidate the methods that we plan to employ to achieve those lofty concepts.

That’s the real strength behind developing resolutions and goals. We must have a concrete plan to do things differently tomorrow that we’ve done heretofore. But, having a concrete plan does not mean every action is set in concrete- after all, the world is forever changing and we need to ensure we adapt to whatever comes our way. The plan makes it possible for us to do so- either continue what we expected to do- or discern why circumstances are now different and how we can easily modify that plan of action to accommodate the change in our environment.

So, if you are starting a new venture, or if you are preparing your business (or life) plan for next year, make sure it’s not just a bunch of resolutions- but it determines your resolution to meet the goals you’ve set. In a clear, step-by-step fashion.

Here’s to the accomplishment of your resolutions.

Share this: