January is already coming to an end (not sure how it’s gone so quickly, but I’m grateful that we’re one month closer to Spring). The month, of course, has felt filled with prompts and ads for resolutions, goals and plans. It seems so often that individuals and brands set out with “Goals for the New Year” without directly aligning them to their mission, without taking the time to stop and review before continuing to charge ahead.

Ladder has been working on a few brand audits lately, and I’m so grateful to the organizations that recognize the need to go through this reflective and revealing process.

They’ve got me realizing that the beginning of the year really is the best time to audit, unless of course, what you did in December doesn’t count. Then by all means, keep doing that. The timing feels really right to take a look at what has surfaced to the top of the list for this year’s priorities and goals and ask ourselves these big questions:

- Does the current external perception of our brand match our internal intention?

- Do the programs and activities we’re prioritizing align with furthering our mission?

- Do these priority programs connect back to our brand and elevate it?

- What were our strengths and weaknesses last year?

- What opportunities exist for us to further engage with our target audience this year?

If you don’t run your own brand and you are reading this as an individual, you can use this same structure to audit your past and your future priorities. Note, all of these can be applied to you as an individual by simply inputting “me” into each question. You might not always think about it like this, but even as an individual, you have a mission and a target audience.