
New Year, Same Resolutions (that we’ll forget by February)
5 days ago
3 min read
Or, why not try setting intentions instead?
With summer holidays now firmly in the rearview mirror, and reality kicking back in – emails, calls, project deadlines and client needs all building up - it’s the perfect time to set some clear intentions for 2025. A little planning now can go a long way in keeping you on track and ready for whatever plot twists the year has in store.
Firstly Goals vs. Intentions: What’s the Difference?
Before diving into your business plans, let’s clear up a common confusion—goals vs. intentions. Think of goals as your business’ New Year’s resolutions: “I will increase revenue by 20%” or “I will finally launch that long-overdue product ”. Intentions, on the other hand, are more like a guiding philosophy, helping you avoid the burnout of chasing goals like a crazy person just because they are on the list.
Intentions focus on mindset and purpose—things like committing to innovation, fostering an awesome work culture, or finally mastering the art of work-life balance. If that last one is you – try reading 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. The books premise is that our time on earth is finite (roughly 4,000 weeks), and we should embrace our limits. Burkeman challenges the cult of busyness, efficiency and productivity, urging us to accept that we’ll never get everything done anyway. He encourages us to prioritise meaningful experiences over endless to-do lists. A concept I can get behind.
By setting intentions alongside goals, we keep aligned to a bigger focus or philosophy. Looking forward to 2025 here are some key things to keep in mind when setting intentions for your business…
1. Embracing Digital Transformation
We all know that tech is moving fast, from its launch in 2022, Chat GPT has gone from 1 million users to a projected 1 billion users this year. Businesses that embrace AI, automation, and data-driven decision-making will have a competitive edge. As a late adopter myself, the reality is that we need to set some clear intentions about how we engage and adapt to this fast-changing landscape before we are left behind.
2. Sustainability and Social Responsibility
People are more eco and socially-conscious than ever, so jumping on the sustainability train isn’t just good for the planet—it’s great for business. With the wild blazes roaring through LA over the last few weeks, this is top of mind for many of us. Small changes like reducing waste, sourcing ethically, or increasing your corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts can boost your brand and make you the kind of company people want to support, and you can be proud of.
3. Adapting to Economic Trends
With interest rates slowly dropping and inflation under control the economy in Australia and NZ seems to be clawing its way back out of the hole. 2024 saw a 20% decline in Seek job ads in Australia (reaching pre-pandemic levels for the first time), and a significant increase in applications per job ad, with New Zealand applications surging by 61% between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024. This means we are back to an employer’s market, giving businesses more bargaining power and choice. Just remember, quantity doesn’t always mean quality when it comes to recruitment!
4. Strengthening Relationships
At the WOBI Forum in November last year Dr. Radhika Dirks told us that 80% of our jobs will become obsolete with the use of generative AI. That remaining 20% is all about the people! AI can’t look at your team member and see they are having a bad day, or have a gut feel about a project. Therefore, personalised experiences and stellar relationships with our team, and prospective talent, are critical to business success and sustainability. What’s your intention in this space for 2025? Is it to connect with your team about their long term goals, reduce pressure on people, or increase creativity? Understanding what our teams actually want will help to retain top talent and attract the right new people.

Setting intentions now means you’re steering the ship instead of just hoping to stay afloat. So, what’s on your list for 2025? If you need a little help getting the brain moving and want to start with your own intentions for the year, perhaps try this out. The Year Compass was set up in 2012 by a couple of bright sparks in Hungary and is now used by more than a million people and translated into 52 languages. And it’s free for everyone.
From me and the Streamline HR team, I’d like to wish you all an awesome 2025, thanks for being part of our journey!
Anne Herbert
Managing Director, Streamline HR