Happy New Year!
Take time for yourself and reflect on your leadership before Monday.
Here we go again. A new year with new challenges and opportunities for us personally and for our organizations. Many of you have completed your business plan, SWOT analysis and budget for the new year. This process is well engrained within your company as you plan for the upcoming year. We as leaders are very intentional about preparing the company for business and financial success. The business is ready to go!
Are you as a leader ready? Do you know your strengths, your weaknesses as a leader? What are your opportunities to have a greater impact on the company? What are the threat factors that may get in the way?
I recommend the principles you apply to your business you also apply to yourself! What can you personally do to get ready and be your best in the new year? I suggest take some time to reflect on your leadership, conduct a SWOT analysis of your leadership and then commit to change. Commit to about an hour and get in a place where you can do some deep and honest reflection.
Questions leaders can reflect on include:
- When was I at my best as a leader this past year? What were the circumstances? How did I know I was at my best? What did that look like behaviorally?
- When was I at my worst? What were the circumstances? Why was I at my worst? What did it look like behaviorally?
- What are the SWOT factors for my leadership?
- What are my Strengths that have helped me be my best?
- What leadership characteristics are Weak for me and that I need to develop? Why?
- Where do Opportunities exist for me to have a greater impact with my leadership team and organization?
- What Threats (inside and outside) could prevent me from developing my leadership and be the best leader I can be in the new year?
Carefully review your notes and identify themes and patterns that show up for you. You may want to share your observations with your team, the Board, or your leadership coach for more input and transparency.
Then get intentional about your development as a leader. Take action and commit to change. Identify no more than two areas that you want to strengthen and develop. Think carefully about the behaviors you want to start and stop doing.
As a leader it is important that we renew ourselves, focus on our development and get better. I was fortunate to have one of my mentors share with me a long time ago some of the best advice I ever received. He said, “Clay what are you doing about your own development? If you are not developing as a leader Clay, you are not leading.”
The New Year is here! How will you get started? What can I do to support you?