Rock, paper, scissors - are you ready for 2024?

What do strategy work and January diets have in common? Both can at best make your 2024 easier, better, and at worst, another "ass ride".

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Christmas is around the corner and I love it very much. Maybe because it represents something recognizable in a changing world that can be hard to figure out.

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On the one hand, we are going through tremendous technological progress. On the other hand, everything from the climate to world peace seems to be going backwards.

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Perhaps the yearning for something recognizable is particularly prominent these days. More new music tracks are remakes of old, recognizable hits, Disney is betting on remakes of their old classics, and even the latest technologies, like the upcoming AI Pin, want us to return to a world before the screen took over.

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It's not surprising if you're a business owner who finds it all a bit hard to wrap your head around. All the more reason to consider whether your business is ready for 2024.

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Read also: When strategy nausea hits

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Take the READY TO GO test

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You can check if your company is ready for 2024 yourself with a small, unscientific test. In its simplicity, it contains four questions you should ask yourself:

1. What are the company's goals in 2-3 years?
2. What activities need to be initiated to reach the goal?
3. What strategic choices do you need to make to reach the goal?
4. What are you particularly good at - not just good at, but extraordinarily good at?

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If you and management can independently answer all four questions clearly and unambiguously, I suggest you stop reading this and have a well-deserved Christmas with a clear conscience.

However, if you find it difficult to answer one or more of the questions - or you don't answer the same - I suggest you spend some time in December to consider revisiting the strategy in January.

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And don't worry. It doesn't have to ruin your Christmas spirit. Often, as with so many things in life, it can be a relief to recognize and act on what you know is wrong.

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Read also: Disagreement on strategy can be fruitful

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Before you get started, however, you should know that strategizing and dieting have one thing in common: they require persistence. And that being steadfast in January is not enough. They both need to be the beginning of a lasting change for them to work.

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Many people find that the first strategy is particularly daunting. Mostly because you're confronted with everything you don't know about your company, your customers and your products. And that you might have thought you knew. It can be an unpleasant eye-opener - just like when you step on the bathroom scales on January 1st.

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Along the way, it's also common to lose track and ask yourself: Is this really necessary?

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But if strategy work is done right, most people will find that it not only pays off on the company's bottom line, but also brings peace and efficiency to both management and employees in the long run, because:

• Clear goals are easier to achieve.
• Fact-based knowledge is easier to agree on.
• Clear threat images are easier to relate to.
• Distinct opportunities are cooler to unite around.

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At the same time, the right process and relevant employee involvement can help create new solutions to old problems. In this way, your 2024 could be both easier and better.

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This column is published in Jyllands-Posten Business and FINANCE on November 29, 2023.

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I'm high as a kite. A nice concrete tool that gets to the core without the mess.

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Lone Sejersen

Chairman of the board in several companies

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