January is often a time for us to look back on what was and ahead to what can be. This is also what highly effective - and disciplined - management teams do so much more regularly that their mediocre peers.

Many management teams have a limited or faulty understanding of what's working, what's not, and why. Reviewing, assessing, celebrating, and refocusing are essential to continuous growth and leadership development. It's the follow through that both completes and restarts the endless improvement cycle. Without this essential component, learning, energy, and momentum dwindle.

And it's all too easy to let what's wrong and what still needs to be improved overshadow what we've accomplished and how far we've come. The pressure of continuous performance improvement can be very draining. If we're going to maintain high energy levels, we need to develop the habit of periodically taking the celebratory pause that refreshes.

Reviewing, assessing, celebrating, and refocusing come from an understanding that it's ultimately our improvement action that determines our performance results. The effectiveness of that action hinges on our follow through and stick-to-it-iveness. Failing to follow through and follow up is a way too common and deadly management team trap.

You've likely set your 2011 budgets and operational plans. Can you produce those new and different results by continuing to do the same things? Not likely. So does your team know what's worked and you should keep doing, what you should stop doing, and what you need to start doing or do more of?

It's a vital time out to recharge yourself. How are you also going to reconnect, recharge, and renew your team?

Further Reading:

* Celebration is the Pause that Refreshes
* Stepping Back to Step Ahead Through Reviewing and Assessing
* The Law of Improvement Displacement