A January Reset: Are You Set Up with the 7 Rights for Sustainable Growth?

At its core, sustainable growth depends on one question:

Do you have the right people, in the right roles, doing the right work, in the right way, with the right resources, delivering the right results and receiving the right rewards?

When the answer is unclear or uncomfortable, that is where pressure, underperformance and cultural strain begin to show.

Why The People Question Matters.

Most businesses do not struggle because of a lack of ambition. They struggle because the organisation underneath the ambition is misaligned.

Strong individuals end up stretched across too much. Capable people sit in roles that no longer suit them. Weaknesses are known but not addressed. Culture is discussed, but not always examined honestly.

A January reset creates space to see what is actually happening inside the organisation and to decide whether you are willing and able to act on it. If the right people are not on the bus, you are unlikely to get to your goal, and if you do, it will almost certainly be a painful journey.

The 7 Rights As A People Lens

The 7 Rights are not a theoretical framework. They are a practical diagnostic tool to assess how well your organisation is set up around the people within it.

Used properly, they create visibility on strengths and weaknesses, highlight misfits and force realism about what can and cannot be achieved with the current structure.

1. Right People

Do you genuinely have the right people in the organisation today?

This is not about loyalty or tenure. It is about capability, attitude and fit with where the business is going next. A common leadership challenge is knowing where there are gaps or misfits, but delaying action because addressing them feels uncomfortable or disruptive. The longer those decisions are avoided, the heavier the burden becomes on the rest of the team.

2. Right Roles

Are people in roles that suit their strengths and the needs of the business?

Over time, roles evolve. What started as a good fit can quietly become misaligned. People take on work by default, not design. Expectations shift without being named. A reset allows you to ask whether roles still make sense, whether they need to be redefined, or whether a restructure is required to unlock performance and reduce friction.

3. Right Work

Are your people spending their time on the work that actually matters?

High performers are often the most overloaded. They pick up extra work because they can, not because they should. Meanwhile, lower-value or legacy tasks continue simply because no one has stopped them.

On a wider level, are your teams working on the activities that will achieve the best outcomes for the business in terms of innovation, customer retention, efficiency and/or growth?

This question exposes where energy is being drained and where focus needs to change.

4. Right Way

How work gets done says more about culture than any stated values.

This includes how decisions are made, how conflict is handled, how feedback is given and how accountability shows up day to day. Many organisations are aware that “something feels off” culturally, but struggle to articulate why. Looking at the right way of working brings those issues into focus.

5. Right Resources

Are people realistically resourced to do what is being asked of them?

This is where honesty is critical. Ambition without adequate systems, tools, time or external support creates pressure and burnout. Under-resourcing is often accepted as temporary, but becomes permanent far too easily. This question forces realism about capacity and constraints.

6. Right Results

Are expectations clear and achievable?

People perform better when they know what success looks like and they can see progress with a series of small wins and milestones. When results are vague or constantly shifting, effort increases but effectiveness drops. This often shows up as busy teams with little sense of progress. Clear results create focus, confidence and better decision-making.

7. Right Rewards

Are you rewarding the behaviours and outcomes you actually want, or rewarding them at all?

Rewards go far beyond salary. They include recognition, progression, autonomy and trust. When rewards are misaligned with expectations, culture and retention suffer. This is often where unspoken resentment or disengagement begins.

A Grounded Way Forward

A proper reset creates clarity. With clarity comes choice. You may confirm that the organisation is largely well aligned, with a few targeted adjustments needed. Or you may uncover deeper misfits that require decisive action, restructuring or difficult conversations. Neither outcome is a failure. Avoiding the reality, however, almost always is.

This is not about fixing everything in January. It is about seeing the organisation clearly and making informed decisions about what needs to change. For leadership teams, the quality of growth in 2026 will depend less on how ambitious the plan is and more on how honestly the organisation behind it is assessed.

Sustainable growth starts with people. Everything else follows.

If you would like support in stepping back and assessing your organisation through the 7 Rights lens, LN Consulting works with leadership teams to bring structure, clarity and momentum to that process. A facilitated assessment can help identify misalignment, prioritise action and create a stronger foundation for sustainable growth. If you want to learn more, get in touch.