I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. The truth is, they come pre-loaded with the idea that we’re not really all that serious about them and no doubt will abandon them by February at the latest.

How many times have we heard things like “the gym is packed for the first two weeks of January, but then things go back to normal.”

Considering that the word resolute means to be “firmly determined, set in purpose or opinion” we’ve clearly missed the point. Maybe it’s because it’s tied to a holiday or that the media have overhyped it. Whatever the cause, we don’t really honor our New Year’s resolutions.

I’d like to suggest an alternative. Perhaps rather than making a resolution, we should be resolute about something. Is there one aspect of your business or business life that you really want to be different by the end of 2011?

What if you made that mission critical for the year? We do that at McLellan Marketing Group.

Last year, we wanted to tighten up our teamwork and internal processes, so we spent the entire year focused on that one goal. We started the year doing an internal assessment, identifying our strengths and weaknesses within the area of teamwork.

As a company, we read books on the topic, held internal discussion groups and had some tough conversations. Throughout the year, we made tweaks as we identified better ways to work together. Our year-end self-assessment results proved the effort had paid off.

We tied ongoing focus and action to our goal. That’s what took it from a resolution to something we were resolute about.

What should you be resolute about in 2011?

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached by e-mail at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2011 Drew McLellan