It’s just a month until 2015. The time goes so fast. Are you prepared for the new year?

My challenge to you is to prepare for 2015 right now and use the month to fully prepare yourself to have an amazing year.

Think of the New Year as a hiking track, you need to get yourself physically and mentally prepared. Build some new skills and a game plan for the rough terrain ahead. For leaders, let me be clear, what got you here will not get you there.

The challenges are daunting. Not just because you have a big objective in 2015, because you’re leading people to accomplish your goal and the numbers, they’re stacked against us.

Three-quarters of your team or your organization are disengaged to some degree. At best your folks are sometimes motivated to go the extra mile and at worst they’re completely disinterested in what you want to accomplish as a leader. Studies even show that thirty percent of your team are wondering “does this person really even care about me?” and this is costing you big time. Definitely in productivity, but also in dollars and cents.

Did you know that for every $10,000 you pay a disengaged employee, it’s costing you up to $3,400? That’s staggering, and even if you don’t exactly fall into this situation, if you have even one person on your team or in your organization that’s less than completely committed, it’s having an impact on your results. You need your team to be their best and you can’t afford to settle for anything less anymore.

So here’s my challenge to everyone who leads a team or an organization, large or small. Certainly, make it a priority to achieve your goals in 2015, but make it your highest priority to be a better leader for your people and use the next month to get ready.

Let’s do it together!

For now, this is what I want you to do. First, write down what you want to achieve through your leadership in 2015. Be a specific as you can be for now and then go back and add details later as they emerge for you.

Next, and this is the most important part, is to declare your commitment to be a better leader for your people. For their sake and for the sake of the results you want to achieve. Your declaration might sound something like this — follow along with me, raise your right hand and say: “I am a leader who understands that I will only go as far as those that I am leading. Leading my people is my top priority every day. I’m committed to leading in a way where my people willingly volunteer their commitment, their passion, their creativity and their effort.”

So go out to Twitter or Facebook and post your commitment with the hashtag #PrepareFor2015.

I’m so excited to get started. I wish you all the best!

Jeff Harmon is a character driven, results focused coaching professional with over 20 years of experience building relationships to equip leaders and organizations to successfully execute on strategic priorities. Jeff is the owner and head coach for Brilliance Within Coaching and Consulting, a full-service business, personal and leadership coaching company; and author of The Anatomy of a Principled Leader and Become a Better Leader, 10 Minutes at a Time.