January in Aotearoa is a funny in-between.

The world is shouting “New year, new goals!”

But our minds and bodies are still in summer mode: sand, salt water, slower mornings, long lunches, and the occasional bevvy on the deck.

And honestly? I think we can hold both.

Rather than piling on resolutions, this feels like a powerful moment to get intentional about how you want to be, in your relationships, your mahi, and the conversations that shape your days.

One simple framework I keep coming back to is:

Be. Do. Have. (A concept by Stephen Covey in his influential book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.)

A Quick Reframe

You might have come across Be-Do-Have before in leadership or coaching work. It flips the usual script.

Most of us default to:

When I have X, then I’ll do Y, and then I’ll finally be Z.

Be-Do-Have invites the opposite:

Decide who you want to be → choose what you’ll do from that place → and notice what you begin to have as a result.

It’s identity-led, not outcome-chasing, and it’s especially powerful when it comes to communication and relationships.

Try this: Your Be-Do-Have 5 minute exercise:

Ask yourself:

• Who do I want to be in my work and relationships this year?

• How do I want people to feel after interacting with me?

If lists feel heavy, choose one word.

Examples:

Present • Calm • Honest • Grounded • Brave • Curious

My word this year is Courage.

Not loud or performative - just the kind, wobbly courage of sharing more of my thinking, my work, and myself.

From that way of being, ask:

• What would someone who is being [your word] do more of?

• What might they stop doing?

• What’s one small, repeatable practice?

For me, courage looks like:

• Speaking up even when my voice shakes

• Sharing tools before they’re “perfect”

• Pressing publish on the YouTube videos

• Letting myself be seen in service of others

Nothing fancy. Just real and consistent.

This part isn’t about forcing outcomes, it’s about noticing.

When you BE and DO differently, you may begin to HAVE:

• Deeper conversations

• More confidence

• Stronger trust

• More ease and enjoyment at work

• Greater clarity

• Braver teams

You don’t need to control this bit. You just need to begin.

So much workplace tension isn’t about skill, it’s about:

• Not backing yourself to speak up

• Talking about people instead of to them

• Avoiding the brave conversation

• Shrinking to keep the peace

At Communicate Powerfully, our work is about introducing you to yourself, and then giving you practical tools to communicate with clarity, courage, and connection.

Because when you change how you be in conversations, everything else shifts.