Ambitious, far-reaching New Year’s resolutions often end in disappointment. So instead of setting unrealistic goals in 2022, leaders should consider making smaller, simpler changes—and they just might see better results, says Harvard Business School Professor Hirotaka Takeuchi.
Here, Takeuchi explains how business leaders can use the following seven practices to guide their own self-improvement efforts in the new year:
1. Develop routines, or kata
As we gain the ability to collect and analyze more data more quickly, decision-making and problem-solving have become increasingly complex. Many people look to technology to solve modern problems, but the more technology advances, the more human reasoning and creativity is often needed to shape and apply it, Takeuchi says.
To exercise those human strengths and remain centered amid mounting complexity, Takeuchi recommends developing and using kata, a Japanese word that means specific routines, as a means to keep your thoughts and actions in sync with your mission, whether on a personal level or within the business context. For example, at Toyota, “ask why five times,” is a kata that helps employees determine the root causes of problems.
