Most people use the end of a year for contemplation and reflection. It’s a unique time to step back, take a look at where you are, see what’s happening around you and how to move forward in the future. It’s especially important for leaders to use this time to see how they can create a stronger, more powerful company. And though new year resolutions exist for a reason, there’s no reason we can’t do the process during any time of the year. Like right now!

To dream about creating the most powerful company in the world is to give breath to a strong vision. For any company, I believe there’s hidden power in the ability to create an organization that people want to be part of, not because out of loyalty or out a need for necessities and comforts of life. But because they would want to be part of an organization driven by unwavering principles – principles that they themselves can pass on to the next generation or inculcate at home.

There is a way to do this. And there’s no better time than the present to get started. I’ve outlined steps you can take to start reflecting and acting on what you can do now.

1. Imagine the Future

Imagine an organization where each individual is at the center. Their creativity, talent, inspiration hopes, dreams and excitement are the core of the company. This company would have the ability to provide meaning and purpose, a context and framework to encourage the individual to achieve their personal best every day. It becomes a place where they flourish and grow. In such a company, individuals are more important than the business, they are valued.

2. Understand What it Means

Though many of us would hope that the imagined organization about already exists, we sadly have to snap back to reality. To create a people focused organization, you have to shift the relationship between the company and its people from parent-to-child to an adult-to-adult one. That creates a deep-seated shift of behavior and mindset. Individuals no longer feel that their future lies solely in the hands of their boss, rather they are able to make choices and take the responsibility for their career and its consequences in the true sense of the word. They become the elements that keep the company and its individual members together through a shared belief and purpose.

3. Consider the Present

You know that you’re not where you want to be yet. Presently, most likely, the company still makes many decisions that within this philosophy the individual should make. And the individual still loves the fact that the ‘company is taking care of them’ but also often fumes about a decision the company makes with regards to people and their careers. Moving beyond this situation isn’t easy, but you want to create a delightful organization it’s essential to start taking steps to create adult-2-adult relationships. To build an organization where people are autonomous in their ability to exercise power and where the company helps its members to become more self-aware and provide choice.

4. Unravel What’s Next?

All of these may be great words but what now? We often talk about ‘people taking responsibility for their career’ but many of us miss a few mini steps. For me the big first step anyone can take is to buy in to the underlying philosophy. The best way to do this is to get feedback on how to create the ability to make decisions and put this squarely in the hands of the individuals.

As with any reflection based project, and especially one that creates a powerful company, this is not going to happen overnight. But as I mentioned before, you can get started today and start creating a company whose key strength lies in the simple yet powerful fact that people actually want to go there and work. It’s not just a job for them but a personal ambition to collectively succeed.

Learn how you can take your leadership teams through a growth model which will help them mature on a personal and professional level by following me on LinkedIn and subscribing to the Keijzer Community.

Paul Keijzer is the CEO and Founder of Engage Consulting and the co-Founder of The Talent Games, which aims to transform HR by digitising talent processes and creating more engaging and productive workplaces through gamification and mobile technology. As a global HR and Leadership Management expert, Paul knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.