Every January, organisations reach for the same solutions.
An Away Day.
A Strategy Day.
A Reset Day.
A planning session with way too many Post-it notes and far too little honesty.
The thinking usually goes like this:
“We need to get out of the business and think about the business.”
I get the intention. I really do.
But after years of working in change, delivery and leadership teams, here’s the uncomfortable truth:
January is absolutely the worst possible time for a ‘day’.
Not because your teams don’t care.
And not because strategy doesn’t matter (it really does).
But because the system is already overloaded.
Adding a ‘day’ doesn’t reduce that load.
It just rearranges it.
What actually happens after most January ‘days’
People arrive tired. Foggy. Still in recovery mode from December.
Everyone brings their own version of what the problem is.
And because you ran people ragged to hit year-end targets, they’re already at least five business days behind before the ‘day’ even starts.
During the session, nothing gets marked for stopping.
You just add more.
Everyone leaves with:
- a longer “priority” list
- some nicely worded intentions
- panic and exhaustion at the thought of how this will all get done
- a shiny new slogan, word of the year or “focus” that will mean nothing in three weeks’ time
Within a week (often sooner), reality bites.
Inboxes are bursting.
Meetings about meetings start up again.
And the output from the ‘day’ quietly gathers dust while everyone gets back to firefighting.
If that sounds familiar, it’s not a failure of effort.
And while leadership might be a bit ropey here, the real issue is this:
It’s a mismatch between what people actually need and what the intervention provided.
The real January problem (clue: it’s not strategy)
January problems are rarely about a lack of ideas.
They’re about:
- too many competing priorities
- decisions that weren’t finished last year
- people carrying invisible load they haven’t named
- teams already bracing for another relentless cycle
In that state, asking people to think bigger is the wrong move.
What they need first is to think clearer.
Clarity reduces anxiety.
Overwhelm thrives on ambiguity.
And no amount of flipchart paper or Post-it notes can fix that.
Why “getting everyone in a room” doesn’t solve it
“If only we could get everyone in a room, we’d sort this.”
I hear this a lot.
Except when teams are already under pressure, being in the same room doesn’t magically make people honest.
People avoid saying:
- what’s not working
- what needs to stop
- which priorities are completely unrealistic
Especially when the blockers, unrealistic expectations and lack of understanding sit with the people on the stage, holding the mic and leading the ‘day’.
Under pressure, people respond in predictable ways.
Some over-function.
You know the type – running around like a headless chicken, working through lunch and late into the evening, desperately trying to clear an ever-growing to-do list.
Others go quiet, buried under unfinished work.
Some dominate the room.
Some nod along… then go and do something else entirely.
Without understanding those patterns, a ‘day’ doesn’t resolve them.
It amplifies them.
Where frameworks do help (and where they don’t)
This is why tools like High Performing Teams, DISC and the Five Behaviours are useful when they’re applied properly.
Not as labels.
And definitely not as a one-off activity on a ‘day’ that’s then shelved and never spoken of again.
They’re useful when they help teams see:
- how they actually show up under pressure
- what happens when it’s messy, not just when it’s calm
- where behaviour, not effort, is getting in the way
Used badly, they’re just more theatre.
Used well, they create understanding and relief.
What actually helps instead
If you want January to feel different, try this instead of a ‘day’:
- one clear outcome you genuinely care about
- three priorities that fit the capacity you actually have
- explicit permission to stop, pause or park the rest
- fewer conversations (and meetings), but more honest ones
- decisions fast enough to keep momentum, but slow enough to be the right ones
This doesn’t require:
- hiring the conferencing suite at the local football club
- a 600-page slide deck
- catering
- or a band
It needs space, honesty and a steady hand.
This is where a proper reset comes in
Most teams I work with don’t need transforming. Thank goodness – because how awful would that be?
They need stabilising.
A reset isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing less, but doing it properly.
That means:
- surfacing what’s really weighing people down
- aligning leaders before asking teams to stretch
- rebuilding trust and clarity where it’s quietly been eroded
- creating momentum that doesn’t rely on heroics
When that happens, the atmosphere changes first.
Then the delivery follows.
I’ve sat in those January rooms, nodding along, knowing full well that very little of what was being agreed would survive February.
Before you book the ‘day’…
Pause and ask:
- what are we actually hoping this day will fix?
- what would genuinely make February feel lighter?
- what needs to stop for this year to feel sustainable?
If the answer is clarity, confidence and fewer competing demands…
You don’t need a day.
You need a reset.
And January is the perfect time to do it – quietly, calmly and properly.
Want support with a proper reset?
If this landed, it’s probably because you can already feel the weight.
The Reforge Change Reset Programme is designed for organisations where:
- delivery is slipping
- people are overloaded
- priorities have multiplied
- and another ‘day’ won’t fix the underlying problem
It’s not a strategy day.
And it’s not transformation theatre.
It’s a calm, practical reset that helps organisations stabilise, regain clarity and rebuild momentum without burning people out.
If you want to think through whether a reset would help your organisation, you’re welcome to get in touch for an honest, no-pressure conversation.
You don’t need a day.
You need a reset.
