January: cold, dark and often a slow month for business. Do you view it as a month for surviving before things start to pick up with the early signs of spring? Or, do you take the opportunity to put measures in place to empower your team and ensure your company will thrive? In this January business survival guide, I focus on team cohesion and three ways to set the tone for the year ahead.

Working On The Business

A quieter month presents a fantastic opportunity to focus on the business. Use a slow January to take stock, see what’s working well and, more importantly, address gaps or weaknesses in the team. This may feel like a time-consuming activity that isn’t going to generate sales, yet action now can be the difference between surviving and thriving.

Team Performance

One of the most important factors in business success is a competent, engaged and motivated team. So, this is the focus of this January Business Survival Guide.

Firstly, I want to raise the fact that a group of employees is a workforce, but not necessarily a team. When everyone is operating independently and protecting their interests, it results in a competitive, not collaborative environment. And, if everyone is pulling in different directions, opportunities are missed. It takes great leadership to build trust, cohesion and efficient working practices.

Do you have a workforce or a team?

There are several ways to explore whether you have a workforce or a team, starting with your perceptions. Is the work culture positive, inclusive and productive? Are your employees willing and able to contribute ideas? Is there evidence of job satisfaction, team support and recognition of achievements?

Next, look at the data, including staff turnover, absenteeism rates, appraisals and customer feedback. What are they telling you about team dynamics and the workplace culture?

It can also be valuable to ask an independent trainer to facilitate a team discussion to gather insight on what your employees feel is working well and where there is room for improvement.

In all honesty, few teams are firing on all cylinders. There are likely to be some skill gaps, training needs, interpersonal issues and dissatisfaction. That’s why it makes sense to start the year with a concerted focus on strengthening the team and demonstrating that you value your employees.

Three Steps to Team Cohesion & Productivity

My key recommendation for January is to develop team cohesion and productivity. To achieve this, there are three points of focus:

Developing Leadership Skills
Employee Training & Development
Process Efficiency

Developing Leadership Skills

It takes good leadership skills to inspire and encourage your employees to work productively and collaboratively.

Are your leaders adept at:

Recognising employees’ skills and experience and using that insight to inform work allocation, rather than their job title?
Clarifying team goals and objectives, accepting that employees will have different approaches and contributions to achieve this collective outcome?
Promoting open communication, so that everyone is in the loop and opportunities or errors aren’t missed?
Monitoring progress to keep everything on track, with timely interventions to address issues and complaints?
Involving the team in decisions that impact them, to generate feelings of control, ownership and respect?

Such leadership skills do not come intuitively to all managers, especially when they have plenty of other tasks on their desks. So, the first action can be advanced leadership training. Enhance your leaders’ ability to model the attitudes, behaviours and values that you want to filter through the team. Let’s embed the confidence and competence to manage the team.

Training & Development Needs

Next, look at the development needs of your team. What additional skills or experience would improve their performance?

In 2024, 12% of employers reported that a skills gap was having a major impact on the business. Yet, training in 2025 was reduced to an average of 5.7 days per employee, the lowest recorded rate*. That is despite the fact that research suggests a 17% increase in productivity and 21% increase in profitability when employees receive targeted training**.

Have you spotted potential that can be realised with the support of a mentor or attendance on a course? What future opportunities have you got lined up for those who demonstrate loyalty or ambition? Put what is needed in place to fill skill gaps and bring long-term benefits to your business.

Process Efficiency

Finally, let’s focus on the processes you want your team to follow. Does everyone on the team know and understand your expectations? If the processes aren’t consistently followed, explore the reasons why. A lack of time, resources or competence may be the cause of bottlenecks or shortcuts. What works in theory may not be intuitive or practical for everyone. So, iron out the problems to streamline your internal systems.

Be Constructive In Your Business Downtime

If you thought this would be a quiet month, think again. Instead, make good use of January by focusing on equipping and empowering your team for the year ahead.

If you’d like support with this process, I can assist. My offer includes modular CPD-accredited e-learning, leadership training and quick reference resources. Speak to me about the specific needs of your leaders and team, and I’ll recommend ways to achieve your desired outcomes. Call me on 07775 624724 or complete my online contact form.

*Source: People Management

** Source: Harvard Business School