It’s January! And, for plenty of us, that means making resolutions, setting new habits, and generally filling up on good intentions. We’re also working with our team to plan ahead.
For those of us who are business owners, it also means thinking carefully about the goals we want to achieve by the end of the next 12 months, and to help get the whole team together to join in.
Knowing how to plan for the year ahead is one battle on its own – what about motivating your team to get behind your plans and mission? Hopefully, you’re already pretty open and communicative with the whole team – but when it comes to motivation and accountability, keeping the same balls rolling from January through to December isn’t always easy.
That said, if you already manage a team and run your own MSP, you’re already doing plenty right as a leader and a motivator. That doesn’t mean, however, that you’re going to have all the answers when it comes to getting people to stick to plans and to become fully accountable as a joint unit.
The answer certainly isn’t in micromanagement, and you can definitely overthink things. Don’t think you can make 2025 the year you sacrifice mental health for targets!
In this guide, I’ll take you through a few simple ideas to help get you and your team motivated about putting those new year’s business resolutions into practice, and to start visualising success.
You might be looking up at the mountain right now – but you’ll need to rely on each other if you want any chance of scaling to the top.
10 Ways to Re-energise and Inspire Your Team to Plan This Year
Now – once you’re clear on what you’d like to achieve this year (and once you have a few apps and tools in your arsenal to help you stay accountable), it’s time to start planning the approach.
Gone are the days of throwing an idea out there and telling the team to stick to it. Frankly, that’s a good thing! There’s strength in collaboration, and Team Tubb is living proof of that!
So, here are some top ideas to consider when looking for new ways to energise and inspire your team with the latest goals and missions you have laid out by December’s end.
1. Celebrate Last Year’s Wins!
Why do we all forget the previous year so quickly? Chances are, plenty of you are so quick to embrace 2025 as a new slate that you likely sealed 2024 without much of a second thought. Don’t worry – you certainly aren’t alone.
A new year isn’t an excuse to put yourself down with regard to how you’ve performed as a team or a business across previous years. Yes, there might be aspects of your business that you could improve on – and there will always be room for improvement, it’s just being realistic – but there’s plenty for you to shout about, too.
Take time with your team to reflect on some of the biggest wins from last year. What targets did you meet? In what areas did you exceed performance and delivery from the year before? What did you all do as a team to reach those moments?
Doing this can be a fantastic driver to help you realise that you’re all able to replicate that kind of success for the year ahead. If you succeeded last year, why not go ahead and double the success this year?
Celebrating success and winning moments is great for energising people. Even if they are small or seemingly insignificant compared to the mountains ahead.
Show people that you care about the impacts they’ve made over the past year, and help them realise how they can do even better in 2025, if not replicate that success again.
2. Ask Your Team for Their Favourite Moments
Let’s stick with the first point a little bit longer. As the MSP owner, it’s probably tempting to try and pick out all the greatest hits from 2024 according to your raw data and oversight. However, the best people who can really drill down into last year’s wins will be, of course, your individual team members!
So, before you go marching on into 2025, take a few moments to ask your team members what they really enjoyed about work in the past year.
Ask them about their personal wins and accomplishments. Were there any goals or checkpoints that they set that they particularly aced or swept past? What were their favourite projects or even social occasions with the team in the past year?
What was it about working with specific clients – for example – that made your team want to really keep going and do their best for the end users who buy from you?
This is a great little exercise that can help your team members become a little more introspective about their talents and gain a little more self-esteem. It’s good to get perspective regularly and not focus on the negatives.
Instead, allow your team to think carefully about what really drives them as the new year looms into view.
With that, it’ll be easier for you all to collaborate on goals. And assign people to projects and personal development where everyone can shine.
3. Focus on Individual Development
Yes, it’s healthy to have big goals for the whole business and for your client base. However, given that we’re discussing how to motivate your team to get behind your plans and ideas for the year ahead, let’s focus now on how to support people on an individual level.
If you don’t already have personal development plans (PDPs) in place, now is a great time to start. Working for you shouldn’t just be about earning money and gaining experience. The most enjoyable workplaces are supportive and give people a chance to explore what really drives them.
That might mean some people want to study certain skills. Others want the chance to shine by taking on their own projects, or taking control of customer and client outreach.
The ideal place to discuss these plans and possibilities is by setting up individual PDPs with each of your team.
PDPs are all about setting goals, being realistic, and helping people see that they can reach out and ask you for help if they need it.
You can (and should) design PDPs so that they align with the business’s goals. At the same time give individual people the opportunity to grow and develop in-house.
Around eight in ten people want their employers to prioritise personal development to the extent that they would quit if such needs went unmet. How are you going to stick to your plans for the business if you’re not supporting your people’s goals alongside?
Develop a supportive and open-ended PDP and revisit checkpoints with your team members throughout the year. Keep everyone involved in the journey your firm is taking.
Talk to Your Team!
Plus explore with them how you can use their talents and interests to push the company forward. It’s also a great opportunity to simply ask for feedback about your plans and missions.
How many people feel that you are being fair and realistic, for example? How many people feel that they will need additional support and guidance to support you in the long run this year?
Your firm’s ability to plan ahead effectively and meet those goals relies on your people. Otherwise, you’re filling your calendar and apps with buzzwords and hollow targets. Focus on the strength of your people and make them even stronger with well-designed PDPs.
I recommend taking a look at AIHR’s personal development plan template as a great starting point if you’re unsure how to draft up an action plan for each of the team. You don’t have to follow it to the letter, but it’s great food for thought.
4. Put Reskilling and Upgrading in Your Team Plan
Don’t be so quick to leap to HR and power up recruitment drives for the year ahead. There’s plenty of skill and potential in your existing team – you just need to know how to tease out people’s best qualities to help everyone hit their targets for the year ahead.
One of the best ways to do this is to simply focus on testing. You could use skills testing and questionnaires, for example, to measure certain characteristics and behaviours.
Alternatively, ask questions of your team members that point towards your end goals for the year.
During PDP meetings, say, you could ask team members to explain how they might improve or re-sell a specific product to a new prospective audience. This is a great chance to get some new ideas and to earmark certain people for certain roles.
By asking people to answer open-ended questions and to pinpoint their skills, it gets easier for you to allocate the right experts to the best projects. And therefore keep your overall goals for 2025 in clear sight.
Consider upskilling people who have the aptitude and attitude to do well in other areas of your business. For example, you could find talented salespeople hiding in the back office, or talented accountants and bookkeepers in the contact centre.
To achieve your plans and goals for 2025, it’s worth believing in the unlimited potential of your people. As corny as that might sound, we all have the potential to train and do what really drives us – so, make the most of those PDPs.
At the same time, never force training or upskilling onto people who simply don’t want to take part, or who feel more comfortable following a different route. Let your people develop the team plan. And accommodate them as best as you possibly can!
5. Check in on Mental Health as Part of Your Team Pan
Your team isn’t going to feel very inspired if they’re feeling beaten down or are struggling with any part of their mental health. And, simply pushing people towards end goals without considering mental strain is about as unethical as you can get.
By prioritising people’s mental health (perhaps, again, as part of a PDP), you’re showing them that you care about them as people, not necessarily as workers.
From a productivity and planning perspective, yes, people who are more engaged and happy at work are more likely to help your business hit its goals. However, there’s a very obvious greater good here.
Focus on creating a mental health programme for your MSP where people can discuss issues they might be facing in a safe, non-judgmental environment.
Again, ask questions as part of PDPs, where appropriate. Touch base with your team members and to make sure they are receiving the support they need.
Doing so will also help people to feel more comfortable with the business and more in tune with you and your goals.
You’ll find it easier to encourage people to work together and to trust in the business if, in return, you invest in their wellbeing.
A happy MSP team is a productive MSP team. And that means meeting your people one on one and genuinely being there for them if they need you.
6. Look Ahead and Consider Training in the Team Plan
Now’s the time to look ahead at any future projects or clients you’re looking to engage with and to consider your team’s capability to handle upcoming tasks and expectations.
Are there any training or knowledge gaps that you can assess right away to help your people hit the ground running in the weeks and months to come?
Think beyond individual needs and upskilling, though that is equally important. Instead, focus on where your team is at as a whole.
Is there a new client coming on board that benefits from a specific type of process or prefers a certain way of doing things? Instead of pretending you know the ropes, give your team the chance to train up in the specialist areas that tick your clients’ boxes.
Don’t just do this to impress clients and hit short-term goals, of course. Think of this as a long-term investment.
The more strings you can add to your collective bow, the more capable your business will be in the long run. And then the more varied projects you can take on. Win-win!
7. Have Feedback as Part of the Team Plan for 2025
Again, blindly pressing ahead without consulting your team won’t mean you hit goals and all be on the same page.
So, while developing and delivering PDP sessions, try to ask for ongoing feedback regarding the support they’re receiving. Ask how they feel about the long-term plans you have in place.
Are there any processes that your team may wish to change? Do they have any specific insight that they could add to help improve your chances of meeting your goals for 2025?
Their ideas and skills are just as important as yours. So make the most of them, and, as always, give credit where it’s due!
8. Consider Gamifying and Setting Achievements
Gamification is a bit of a phenomenon. In the same way that millions of people play video games to hunt down achievements and trophies, there are several businesses that are following suit.
They set up leaderboards and create spot prizes to encourage people to be productive at work. One of the best ways to embrace gamification is by tying it in with PDPs and personal development in general.
Instead of allowing people to compare themselves to others, give spot rewards and targets they can be proud of on their own.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a little competition, but it’s always a good idea to be sensitive. Not everyone will find gamification appealing, and not everyone will even find it motivating.
So, take the safe route and ask for individual feedback from your employees before you roll anything out company-wide.
9. Introduce New Tools and Help People Acclimatise
There are tons of great productivity and planning apps out there that can help whole teams of people collaborate and realise goals more easily and efficiently. What’s more, the best productivity suites and apps help to keep everyone accountable for their parts in ongoing projects.
However, you can’t always guarantee that you’ll get people to buy into every piece of software you introduce. Therefore, try to introduce certain new features and tools gradually. Take time to offer training and answer questions.
If possible, give people time to explore new software on their own before they are expected to use it for urgent projects or deadlines. This way, they can get comfortable with the interface they’re using and reach out if they have difficulties.
This is a great way to encourage accountability and to make sure people know that you have an open door policy – not just in terms of everyday issues, but also with regard to tools of the trade.
10. Above all, be Firm but Fair
If much of this guide so far sounds as if I’m suggesting you should pander to your team’s every need without considering the business, that’s certainly not what I’m striving for.
As a manager or MSP owner, you always need to strike a careful balance. B firm, supportive leader, and someone who holds your entire business accountable for what happens next.
Be ready to address performance and development issues individually with people, but do so as a coach or supporter. Don’t be someone who admonishes others without first considering why certain targets weren’t met.
Try not to be a complete disciplinarian and, where possible, give people control and credit for individual projects.
Freedom to work and express oneself can go a long way toward encouraging greater buy-in on missions and long-term plans.
For people to invest time and interest in you as a company, you need to invest just as much time and interest in them. That means being genuine and holding open conversations. It means looking at more than just data and raw end results.
Think back to the best moments of 2024, as discussed all the way back in point one. What was it about your team’s performance that really helped the business hit those important markers?
How can you encourage that kind of productivity and performance for years to come? Don’t just assume that it’s lightning in a bottle or that it’s only certain people who will achieve specific results.
As discussed, you can always train and encourage the right people to grow and embody your company’s mission and vision.
Become a Supportive Leader in 2025
Becoming an effective and supportive leader – one who can genuinely tap into what drives and inspires people – takes time and effort. You can’t expect to switch leadership qualities on and off.
And that means you, too, might need to do some development of your own. So make that part of your team plan.
However, amid all this talk of support for others and prioritising mental health, you also need to consider your own health and performance. Time off for leaders, for example, is vital – so don’t put yourself at the back of the queue.
Remember, there are lots of resources out there that can help you lead more efficiently and effectively while heading towards your team’s goals for 2025. Take a look, for example, at our guide on how to become a masterful leader so you can retain the best talent.
And, as always, if you have any tips or tricks of your own that have helped you support people in pursuit of your yearly goals, let us know – we want to hear from you!
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I’m a small business owner and writer with over a decade’s experience in producing help guides and social content for a variety of industries. I’m genuinely interested in helping fellow business owners find more convenient ways to run their operations and support their teams.
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