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

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

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Christmas is just around the corner and I love it. Perhaps because it represents something recognizable in a changing world that can be hard to make sense of.

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On the one hand, we're undergoing huge technological advances. On the other hand, everything from the climate to world peace seems to be on the decline.

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Perhaps the longing for something recognizable is particularly prominent these days. Several 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 no wonder if you're a business owner who finds it all a little 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 hibernation hits

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Take the READY test

You can check if your company is ready for 2024 with a little unscientific test. It contains four simple questions that 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 your goal?
4. What are you particularly good at - not just good at, but exceptionally good at?

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

If, on the other hand, you're struggling to answer one or more of the questions - or you're not answering the same ones - I suggest you spend some of December thinking about 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 over strategy can be fruitful

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Before you get started, however, you should know that strategy work and dieting have in common that they require persistence. And that it's not enough to be steadfast in January. They both need to be the beginning of a lasting change if they are to work.

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Many people find that the first strategy in particular pulls teeth. 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 - like stepping on the bathroom scale on January 1st.

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Along the way, it's also common to lose sight of the big picture 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 provides peace of mind and efficiency for 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.
• Distinctive 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. That way, your 2024 might just get easier and better.

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This column was published in Jyllands-Posten business and FINANCE on November 29, 2023.

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I'm on a high. A great concrete tool that gets to the heart of the matter without the mess.

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Lone Sejersen

Chairman of the board of several companies

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