Why the First Quarter Separates Careers So Quickly
How Early-Year Decisions Translate Into Trajectory
As December becomes January and even more so as the first month of the year ends, most leaders have a clear sense of what they want to change. What’s less clear — and far more consequential — is which of those changes will actually improve their standing inside an organization.
That question tends to answer itself quickly in the first quarter.
People at similar levels, with similar ambition, start making different kinds of moves. Some narrow their focus early, placing a small number of bets that are obvious to decision-makers (or that they hope to make obvious). Others try to operationalize everything they picked up in planning for the year ahead without distinguishing between what compounds and what just adds busy-ness.
By spring, the difference shows.
That dynamic has been on my mind as I’ve continued working through early-year career themes across a few formats — including a recent piece on promotions for Business Insider.
I’ve been continuing this line of thinking across formats, with recent YouTube videos focused on how early-year advice actually plays out once people try to use it.
The rest of Q1 remains a pivotal time to cement New Year’s Career Resolutions so I’ll continue to share that type of content over the next month-plus. Feel free to reply if you have specific topics you’d like me to cover.
Offline, the pattern shows up even faster. In workshops I’ve led for Cornell, Columbia, and NYU alumni and in newer coaching groups I’ve launched, people rarely struggle because they lack information. They struggle because they’re unsure which inputs are worth acting on, and how — and which ones are better left alone for now.
These are the same distinctions shaping a the Executive Action Network, a new community a colleague and I are launching this winter. It’s designed for leaders willing to step in for one another, whether that means giving unfiltered input, making introductions, or helping move a decision forward.
We’re being deliberate about who’s a fit, but still in conversation with a small number of leaders where that kind of engagement makes sense. If you’re curious, reach out.
I’ll continue working through these questions across a few different formats as the quarter progresses, focusing less on resolutions themselves and more on how they hold up in practice. If you missed anything so far, here are a handful of posts in that vein:
New Year, New Networking (YouTube)
Why Most Career Goals Fail by February (YouTube)
Finally Getting Ahead of the Calendar Chaos (YouTube)
Overcoming a “Bad” Year (LinkedIn)
Changing How You Talk About Yourself (LinkedIn)
Is Your Hard Work Being Seen As Strategic? (Instagram)
Hosting an event where you need a speaker on anything from Leading with Influence to Executive Presence? I’d love to support!
Hope your year is off to a fulfilling start.
Andrea