3 Critical Leadership Questions… and some other reflections
As the new year comes along, most of our budgets for the next year have been finalized and approved, and we begin (if we haven’t started already) to plan out how we will achieve these goals. For most, this focus is on tangible milestones—projects, tasks and initiatives to be completed by a certain date. In our personal lives, we often make New Year’s resolutions—to eat better, exercise more, spend less money, sleep more, read more books, etc. What we often fail to reflect on and consider for the upcoming year is how our leadership will support us in achieving our work goals, and how we show up every day as a leader, deeply impacting the lives of those we manage, interact with and support.
As this year comes to a close and you begin to reflect on next year, consider the following questions:
- At the end of 2018, how would I like others to describe me as a leader? What words or phrases do I hope others would use?
- What do I need to do exceedingly well in the next 12 months?
- From a leadership perspective, what would I like to accomplish? What successes or accomplishments would have the greatest impact on my work?
Further questions and reflections on this past year and the year ahead:
What are my current areas of:
- Focus?
- Interest?
- Responsibility?
How am I doing in each of these areas?
- Work/career/professional development
- Health (vitality: exercise, nutrition, energy level)
- Family
- Partnership
- Friends
- Finances
- Home
- Community service
- Creative and artistic expression
- Personal growth/spirituality
- Fun & adventure
What percentage of time do I allocate to each of these areas on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis? Does this feel balanced? If not, what can I do to shift things?
- What do I fall asleep concerned or worried about?
- What have I been resisting?
- What (if anything) has been causing me to feel out of balance?
- What conversations have I NOT had with people close to me, personally and/or professionally? What surfaces when I think about them?
- What are my roles and responsibilities in both my paid work and personal life?
- What projects (personal and professional) should I have on my list that I don’t have yet?
- What projects should I drop because they are not about me or what I do?
- How is my work/life balance?
- Have I done any creative/artistic projects in the past six months?
- Have I done anything just for FUN in the past three to six months?
Inciting Leaders 