All of us in this business are held accountable for our results. A fresh start can be hard to recognize when you are caught up in the past. That can go either way. Did you just have a brutal year, quarter or second half of the year? That’s hard to shake off. It can haunt you until you turn it around. It can affect your ability to turn it around. Conversely, did you just have an amazing year, quarter or second half? That can be equally challenging, as the bloom from that rose might last longer in your head than it does on the pace report.
Either good or bad, you’ve got to embrace the change a new year brings. Embrace the new year as a fresh start. Occasionally that can happen in dramatic leaps, but usually it is accomplished through small, consistent, and manageable steps. It happens by having a plan that is contributed to by many people around you. A plan that has been vetted, questioned, poked, and prodded.
Remain flexible, be prepared to amend and seize the initiative if unforeseen challenges or opportunities arise. But if you have a plan contributed to by many and it has been vetted, execute your plan. It has been my experience that this exercise is successful and extremely gratifying, not just for you as an individual, but for your team of contributors. You’ll learn from the experience and likely be able to improve the following year. Success can compound and spread. But alas, so can failure. Just remember that even failure is a learning experience. Take it for that, shake it off. and keep ‘er moving.
The new year is always a good time for a fresh start. But I would argue that every month, week, day, or even a conversation is an opportunity for a fresh start. Feel a conversation sliding sideways? Take a breath and give yourself a fresh start. Reboot, pull yourself out of that trench you might be digging with your words, and listen to what the other person or people have to say. Acknowledge a mistake if you have made one and seek contributors to a solution. You might just need someone else’s perspective. You can give yourself a fresh start at any time, just try not to dig that trench too deep. Regrettably, I’ve done it both ways. I promise you the former is much better than the latter.
The glass is half full. The opportunities are all around you. 2026 is a fresh start, if you are willing to embrace it.
Judson Beck
WBA Board Chair
