December is here and it's time to celebrate this year's successes and envision your business goals for 2022. Don't forget to set very specific goals for your personal development as a leader. Include a plan for how you can improve as a leader to help you accomplish the goals you’ve set for your company.
Think about… What type of leader do I need to be to accomplish my company goals? What strengths do I have already? How can I leverage my strengths? What additional skills do I need? Who do I need to hire to fill what's missing?
Leadership development goals must personal. Don’t use a cookie cutter approach. They should fit who you are now and enable you to get where you envision for your future as a leader. They should also clearly connect to the overall goals you’ve set within your company as well. If not, it will be a waste of resources to pursue.
So, how do you figure out what your development plan should look like? I have outlined below a process for setting your vision for your leadership development in 2022.
Set Your Priorities So often we have development priorities we discuss, but never really get them implemented into our lives. Our words and our actions get out of line and we must get them in line to be successful at accomplishing our goals. Take some time to clearly identify your development priorities for 2022.
To do this, you will need two blank pieces of paper. On the first one, you will write down the different development areas (communication, teamwork, strategic thinking, coaching, time management, financial acumen, etc.) that are important to you. There is no right or wrong answer just what works for you and your goals.
On the second one, you will draw a large circle in the center of the page. Then you will divide it into the number of areas you have one your list. Write in each slice the name of the area you will prioritize in the new year.
Align Your Time Now that you have a priority list, you now must make time to work on these areas. If you don’t plan for it, it will never happen. Be intentional.
Ask yourself these questions:
What tasks or activities will enable me to honor these priorities?
What tasks or activities do I need to remove from my schedule?
Put on your schedule time to work on each of the priorities consistently. Make a commitment that if something interrupts this time you will reschedule it on your calendar. If not, then you’ve wasted your time putting it on your schedule. HINT – Time set aside for priorities should never be cancelled… only rescheduled.
Align Your Talents
Now that you’ve identified your development priorities and set aside time for them, you must now take a moment to celebrate what you already do well… your talents or strengths. I want you to look at your goals and think about how what you already do well can help you accomplish them. Don’t just focus on one of them. I want you to bring all of them to the table. They’re all a part of you (natural skills, education, and experience). So often, I see leaders struggle because they don’t bring their whole self to the job or task at hand. Learn to bring all of your talents and leverage them to accomplish your goals.
Align Your Money
I see it happen all the time… you select workshops and conferences to attend and/or coaching programs to help you become a better leader. You set aside the time, but you forget one key element… the money… the financial investment needed to bring it all together. Make a list of each event/program with the dates and fees. Outline a plan for taking advantage of early bird pricing offers to save on the money you’re investing in your development. Document all of these investments and ensure your bookkeeper or tax professional include this as a business expense.
Execute Your Plan You now have a comprehensive plan for your development and you are committed to accomplishing each of these goals. Don’t let this plan sit on your shelf… implement it. This is the most important step. You must take action consistently to improve as a leader. Don’t get distracted by the things that come up. Be intentional and put in the work.
Get an accountability partner to help you stay on track or help you get back on track. This partner could be a friend, co-worker or a coach/mentor. It just needs to be someone that’s invested in your growth and development… someone who will not let you make excuses.
Take your development seriously as we enter a new year. You’ve accomplished so much this year in the midst of the continuing global pandemic. Let’s build upon that success by becoming better leaders. Our teams and our companies are depending upon us to take things to greater heights. We can only do that by getting better at what we do each day.
Remember our mantra… solutions not excuses. Let’s get our vision written down and implement consistently!! You can do this!! #ZeroIn #ZeroExcuses
Comments