The New Year is a natural time to think about renewal and how to be more effective as a leader. However, some of the typical things many of us do with New Year's resolutions often end in failure – 88% of the time, according to one study. I look at how three words can help you set the stage for your development actions this year.
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I discuss how running a marathon helped me understand why so many of us have a hard time tackling so many goals at once.
The problem with resolutions:
- A study by Richard Wiesman in the UK followed 3,000 people for a year and determined that only 12% of people actually fulfill their New Year's resolutions
- Intention is easy – but putting the time into action is hard
- We are going to hit obstacles we don't anticipate
- We we bit off more than we can chew, our systems can crumble. I talk about how I made this mistake a bit last year in my planning (see episode #23) and why I tried to do too much all at once.
What works better:
- Reflect on the past year.
- Ask yourself: What did I do well last year? Where did I fall short?
- Ask people around you the same questions – talk to people you trust
- Look at assessments, 360s, performance reviews
- Examine patterns you are seeing with your team or group of people you lead – it get magnified
- What are the general themes that emerge of what you want to do differently?
- One example for me – interaction with others and social media
- Find three words that can meet it (check out this great article on the topic by Chris Brogan)
- My three: Show Up, Flexibility, and Collaboration
- Start with one goal that will lead you there
Communicate it:
- Have your 3 words visible
- Share your words with others
- Ask others to give feedback/coaching on this
- This is an effective way to connect with your team as well, as it's simple for people to remember your goals
I'd love to hear your 3 – and also I'd love to hear what works for you in your self-development at the beginning of a year. Comment on the show below – even if it's July. The key is getting started!
Community Feedback
USA: (949) 38-LEARN
Global: +1 (949) 385-3276
Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow
feedback@coachingforleaders.com
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