Follow-up is critical if you are to be a great leader. Let me give you three simple lists that will transform your life in 2016 and beyond.  These lists are one way to follow-up on your work last year and hold yourself accountable to growing personally and professionally.

This exercise does not take long.  You can create all three lists while enjoying a single, quiet cup of coffee secluded in your favorite java stop with your mobile phone facedown, if not turned off.

List I:  WRONG DECISIONS

You made a lot of decisions in 2015.  Some of those were bad decisions.  Even though you had done your research, considered the advice of others, prayed about it, thought about it, and "everything" seemed to confirm it was a good decision.

But the actions you took did not achieve the results desired.

List your three most significant Wrong Decisions - only three.  List them in order of disappointment, with the worst disappointment first. These should be the three worst decisions you made in 2015 that cost you, hurt you, and/or set you back.

Ask yourself the following questions about each decision so you can learn from these mistakes and NEVER repeat them again.

• What three facts or opinion ("warnings") indicated it was a bad decision, but you dismissed it? NOTE:  Do you notice that the warnings are usually a quiet voice in your mind?  Temptations typically scream at you or threaten you.
• For each of these warnings, what emotion, bias, or other information convinced you to dismiss it?
• What will you do next time your quiet voice is telling you not to make a decision that you want to make, so you can avoid repeating this mistake?

LIST II: PROCRASTINATION

This list is the three most significant tasks or projects you planned to accomplish to advance your career, cause, or company, yet it was set aside.  (There is no good excuse, except possibly that it should never have been an objective for 2015 in the first place.)

Ask yourself the following questions about each decision so you can avoid procrastination in the future.

• Maybe I have only one major item that I should have done, or possibly it is two or three.  When can I schedule uninterrupted time to regularly work on an important task so this game changer can succeed in 2016?
• Who can hold me accountable to making regular progress on each objective?
• How can I be held accountable weekly to making this progress?  (Yes, weekly.  Do a little at a time and you will be able to "eat your elephant.")

LIST III:  RIGHT DECISIONS

These are the best decisions you made that produced meaningful results in 2015. Ask yourself the following questions about each decision so you can make more decisions like these in 2016 and beyond.

• What process did you follow to decline the temptation of a different decision?
• Who gave you the best advice that helped you make this good decision?
• How can you improve this decision-making process and develop it into a more consistent habit?

I had a great 2015, but I made some mistakes.  I have done this exercise and am looking forward to an even better 2016.  Join me.

This is a new year.  A fresh start.  Whether you "won" or "lost" last year does not matter much.  Now we start the cycle again.  Let's make 2016 our best year yet.