This blog has a holiday season tradition. At the end of each year, I share a few questions that will help you reflect on the past 12 months and look forward to the next 12. I do this exercise myself every year because it yields big insights from a very small investment of time. I’ve heard from both my coaching clients and readers of this blog that they also build a lot of forward momentum through these end-of-year questions.
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If you’ve done this exercise before, you probably remember the drill. If not, all you will need are a few distraction-free minutes (as little as 10 should do the job) and a pen and paper. (Yes, you can use your computer if you want, but you'll get the most out of this exercise if you write your answers out by hand.) Don’t overthink. Just write down the first things that come to mind for you. There’s a lot of value that comes from just slowing down and listening to your thoughts.
Ready to get started?
1. What Did You Learn About Your Leadership in 2022?
This year put many of us to the test as we coped with the Great Resignation and the impact of a challenging economy. What did you observe about yourself as a leader in 2022? What themes or patterns do you see?
2. What Did You Learn from Other Leaders?
You can learn a lot about the kind of leader you want to be, and the kind you don't want to be, from the other leaders around you. What did you learn from the leaders around you from the way that they prioritized, brought out the best in others and took care of their own well-being?
3. What Do You Want to Take Forward Into 2023?
Do you want to know a common mistake that even successful leaders make? They don't pause often enough to notice what they're achieving and how they're achieving it. When you understand how you accomplish what you do, you can put your personal best practices into play more deliberately—and help others leverage them too. What were your wins in 2022? How did you make them happen? By identifying what you did well, you can be deliberate about tapping into the power of those strategies in 2023.
4. What Do You Want to Leave Behind?
The end of the year is a good time to think about any setbacks, mistakes, conflicts or big changes that you find yourself dwelling on. Sometimes we can stay stuck in frustration even as we push ourselves to move forward and be more resilient. But resilience doesn’t mean simply powering through. Instead, it requires delving into our thoughts and feelings and taking a look at successes and failures – so we can learn from them and make different choices. Taking some time to reflect on these things can help us identify what got in our way, as well as what we can do differently in the future – and avoid taking baggage into next year.
Planning for Next Year?
I hope that this article helps you close out the year at work on an inspired note. I’m so grateful to you for reading these articles and engaging with Newberry Solutions this year. This is our last article of 2022, but we’ll be back in the first week of 2023 with more resources to help you accomplish what’s important to you.
As you look toward the new year, arm yourself and your team with easy-to-use, high impact tools. If you haven’t already, check out the award-winning New Lens app, our program to develop effective leaders at all levels in a way that is affordable and scalable. We would love to help you determine if it’s a fit. Schedule a demo now.