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How To Create More Success This Year Using This 3 Step Strategy

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Do you know that success comes down to two things, effort and strategy? Most people fail because they don’t put in the necessary effort to get the results that they want. And effort is something that you will have to do on your own. Just like what Jim Rohn said, “You can’t hire someone else to do your push-ups for you.”

As for strategy, here is the 3-step strategy you can create more success this year:

1. Learn From The Past

How was your last year? Did you achieve all your goals or most of your goals last year? Did you do great or poorly? Do you consider last year a great year or a lousy one? Most people get it wrong by focusing too much on the future and they neglect the most important year, which was the previous year.

You learn the most from history. If you want to predict the future, you will have to study the history. Unfortunately, most people put in too much of their attention into the future and focus on getting what they want. They have missed important lessons that they can learn from their past.

If you were not doing well last year, there is no point to continue to do the same thing again this year. You will only get back the same result just like last year. What you need to do is learn from the past.

When you study how successful people made it in life, you will find out that they made plenty of mistakes, and then they learned and improved from their past results. In other words, successful people create extraordinary results learn from their past. They learn from their mistakes and do something different or improve their strategy to achieve a better result in the future.

So do a post-mortem and study your past. Write down what you have done last year and what are the results you got from it.

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha

2. Ask The Right Question

The second step is to ask the right question. You see, at the beginning of each year, a lot of people will ask a similar question, “What do I want to accomplish this year?” When they ask this question, they force their mind into thinking about the future.

And if the previous year they failed to achieve their goal, there is a high chance that will remain the goal and do the same thing again. Instead, you should ask the right question, “What could I do differently to…

It is absolutely fine to set the same goal, but the problem is that most people set the same goal and they plan to use the same strategy to reach their goal. They did not do anything different and thus, expect to fail again this year.

Therefore, if you want to change and get a different result, you must do something different. And you can start by asking – what can you do differently to achieve your goal. If you don’t change your strategy, you will never get different results. So what can you do differently this year so that you will produce better results?

Here’s a hint, do what works. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Just find out who has accomplished the result you want and model their strategy.

3. Develop The Schedule

The final step is to develop the schedule. Scheduling works better than goal setting. Your goals are just targets to remind you of what you want to achieve in your life, while a schedule reminds and puts you into action mode.

For example, it is more powerful to say that you are going to work out in the gym from 7am to 8am every Monday and Wednesday rather than just saying you are going to work out in the gym.

When the schedule is clear and specific, you will more likely to take action and make it happen. As what Anthony Robbins says, “Clarity is power”. Furthermore, a schedule is something that you can work on and not something intangible. If your goal is to lose 10 pounds, your schedule could be to work out in the gym for an hour at 7am every day.

As you can see, schedules are something that you can act on and thus, you can control the result. When you set better and more effective schedules, you will get faster and better results. Hence, develop your schedule right now. Ask yourself what do you need to do to achieve your goals? And then turn your answers into schedules and put them into your calendar.

Follow your schedule and transform your actions into habits. This is how all the successful people did it.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey

Remember, you have to learn from your past if you want to do better in the future. And instead of focusing on the future, ask yourself, “What could I do differently”, to change your strategy and improve your result. If you keep doing the same thing, you will get the same old result.

What are you going to do differently this year than last year? Leave your thoughts below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com.

Shawn Lim is the creator of StunningMotivation.com (https://StunningMotivation.com) and he’s a passionate blogger in the personal development industry who has inspired thousands to pursue their dreams and follow their passions. You can learn more about him plus download a free copy of his guidebook, Reach Your Goals on his website.

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Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

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Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

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Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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leadership tips for new CEO
Image Credit: Midjourney

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
Image Credit: Midjourney

When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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