It’s one thing to set goals. It’s another to build the conditions for people to achieve them. In my experience, that’s what separates good leaders from great ones. Especially at the start of a new year.
In strong organisations, January is more than a time for planning: it’s a moment to reset ambition, renew alignment, and reinforce the behaviours that will carry the team forward.
The execution gap
Even when organisations invest time in setting good objectives, it can be hard to maintain momentum throughout the year. Priorities blur. Success becomes more about survival than stretch. In my work, I've noticed that the most successful leaders and teams do these four things differently:
1. Inspire shared ambition
Ambitious goals work best when they belong to the team, not just the leader. When teams have space to explore possibilities and define success together, ownership increases. They think more creatively. They take initiative. They hold each other accountable.
Offsites, open-agenda meetings, and even short framing conversations can help bold ideas come to life. They’re not side activities, they’re where ambitious goals are born.
2. Create a rhythm of accountability
Goals don’t stay alive on their own. Without structure, even the most inspiring targets fade into the background of daily work.
That’s why effective leaders build regular check-in points such as quarterly scorecards to keep progress visible.
These rhythms aren’t about micromanaging. They’re about helping people focus, adjust, and follow through.
In fast-moving environments, priorities shift quickly. A regular cadence gives teams the clarity and responsiveness they need to keep moving forward.
3. Signal what counts
Achieving the highest levels of performance requires rigorous attention to what people do and rewarding them appropriately. Recognition doesn’t just boost morale - it signals priorities. It tells people that their effort, progress, and learning matter.
And when leaders acknowledge the right behaviours, they shape the culture without needing to announce it.
4. Ground high performance in humility
It's always good to succeed, but consistent high performers can become a liability for your organisation as well, particularly where their success leads to arrogance, entitlement or resistance to others' input.
Effective leaders keep performance grounded. They celebrate results in ways that elevate all contributors, not just the most visible stars. They model humility, respect roles across the organisation, and hold high performers to high standards of behaviour, not just output.
That’s how cultures stay healthy while they grow.
The takeaway
These aren’t abstract ideas. They’re practices you can build into your leadership rhythm through meetings, reviews, recognition, and reinforcement.
They’re also the difference between a goal that sounds good in January, and a result that still matters in December.