.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} January 2010 has come and almost gone. The month of new beginnings. The time for renewed commitment and the perfect launching pad for a revised course of action.

Sounds dandy … but how are you actually doing on that?

Surely by this late date in the month you’ve shifted directions. You’ve identified what wasn’t working and you’ve charted your adjustments. Right?

The truth is, the vast majority of business owners and leaders are entering 2010 pretty much like they ended 2009:

• No strong sense of your brand. (Other than: It’s your people, or your product or service is simply better.)

• No genuine engagement with your employees. (Do you really know how they treat your customers? It’s probably pretty parallel to how you treat them.)

• No written marketing plan. (If it sounds good, you try it. If it doesn’t work the first time, you stop.)

• No identified and shared goals for your leadership team. (Other than surviving another year and hoping they don’t leave you and start their own business.)

• No “from the heart” commitment on sharpening your own saw. (20-plus years in the business should be enough, shouldn’t it?)

If you are guilty of any of the above items, it’s time to stop blaming the tough competition, the economy, the boss who just doesn’t get it or any other excuse that we business leaders love to pull out.

It’s time for you to push aside those distractions and excuses and create some serious change.

This could be the year that the new year actually brings something new.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2010 Drew McLellan