The beginning of a new year is a great time to prepare. I always think of how the great basketball coach John Wooden began each season: he reviewed how to tie shoelaces with his players.

Wooden went over the process in great detail: He made sure each player understood that precise attention to every detail is a terrific competitive advantage. A careless opponent might pay less attention to basics like tying shoes—and that could be the difference in a close contest. And the shoelaces secured the foundation of a player's leverage on the floor. Wooden knew that paying attention to such a basic item also would underscore the value of attention to other details, by creating a mindset that nothing can be assumed when it comes to preparation.

So what are the shoelaces of our business?

1. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Obamacare has dominated our world for the past three years, and the headlines for the past three months. With the inability to meet expectations, Washington is finding out our business isn't so simple after all. With government-backed programs falling more into question, employers are going to rely on their brokers for advice—and brokers on their carrier partners.

2. Voluntary benefits. We've talked for years about how they can fill gaps—gaps in the plans employers provide to employees, gaps created by Obamacare, and gaps in broker income generated by the MLR requirements. But while we've talked about this, it's still not possible to design the best gap-filling product. The problems with the HealthCare.gov site, the issues with regulations put off or modified, have delayed any specific solutions for another year.

3. Voluntary benefits 2. We have to wonder about employees. They've been told they must have coverage, yet their options have been confusing and frustrating at best. So will employees keep reacting favorably to voluntary benefits this year?

4. Defined contribution and private exchanges. Are these going to be as fresh in 2014 as they seemed in 2013? Are employers going to think: “why bother?”

In 2014, as we look forward, more than ever we need to focus on our customers. Let's quit watching Washington so closely, quit planning to react to the moving targets represented by PPACA, and have direct discussions with employers about how to best define medical, ancillary, and voluntary benefits to meet the needs of their employees. Let's make sure their shoelaces are tied, so their benefit strategies are on solid footing.