The arrival of the New Year provides a great opportunity to look back at 2014’s accomplishments and challenges and work towards a promising and inspirational 2015.
So, with the new year fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about what’s ahead and what you can do to continue to focus your leadership and executive presence aspirations. New Year’s resolutions are not only important to improve yourself personally, they are important for your professional success as well. As you aspire to reach a senior level or any leadership position, a review of your 2014 results, challenges and learning will help guide your next steps.
Three Important Steps to Help You Reach Your Goals
Many of us have good intentions, plans and resolutions for the New Year. And then what happens? Life events, our habits, those comfort zones and the other “stuff” that gets in the way. To help you make those good intentions last throughout the year here is an easy three step exercise that will set the foundation to reach your goals.
- Reflect – Conduct an assessment of the last year as it relates to your executive presence and leadership aspirations
- Review – Analyze what you want to start, stop and/or continue doing
- Refocus –Identify and set your goals for the year
Looking at the New Year Through Reflections of the Past Year
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ― Søren Kierkegaard
Get your journal and get ready to start writing! The first step to create your goals for the New Year is to reflect upon your experiences in the past year. According to new research published by the Harvard Business School: “The results reveal reflection to be a powerful mechanism behind learning, confirming the words of American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer John Dewey: “We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience.” … In fact, these beneficial effects seem to be lasting”.
The science behind reflection is compelling. We know intuitively that we learn by experience and also that we learn from our mistakes. Research is increasingly telling us that without the process of actively thinking about those experiences, and questioning ourselves about what they mean, learning doesn’t really happen. What gets us from experience to understanding is reflection. With the aid of simple questions such as ‘what did I do well in that situation?’, ‘what would I do differently’, you can make small steps to doing things better.
What will improve your ability to lead with executive presence?
Assess how you developed your leadership and executive presence skills in the past year. Some general questions to answer: Have you accomplished what you expected to? What was your biggest success last year? What was most difficult or your biggest challenge? What did you learn? What will you do differently?
The Executive Presence Group Questionnaire will help you look in the mirror
Then take the Executive Presence Group’s short questionnaire. Use these twenty questions to evaluate your actions towards increasing your leadership and executive presence skills. Answer the questions as they relate to your actions at work in 2014. The score will help you to determine your goals for the upcoming year.
As you start these next two weeks—and then next year – spend some time reflecting. Post-holiday parties and good cheer, it’s easy to pack up the decorations, to juice-cleanse your system from the holiday indulgence and to speed forward to comfortable activities. Instead, put the brakes on for the next few days, and gift yourself the space and freedom to reflect on the past twelve months of your professional life. It will make a huge difference towards achieving your goals.
See you next week for the second step in this exercise “Review”. Be prepared to analyze what you want to start, stop and/or continue doing as it relates to your professional career aspirations.
