Take your Leadership to the Next Level with a More Capable team for the New Year

As we round out the holidays this year, many leaders are looking into the new year and setting some New Year’s resolutions. Whether you believe in resolutions or not, it is a good time to look back on the year and start some new leadership habits. Below, we have put together some tips for possible resolutions or for taking your leadership to the next level. 

1. Take stock. One of our favorite actions is to look at what we are doing well. In most cases, this will do two things: First, it will help us keep doing those things well. Second, when we know the reasons for our success, we can sometimes apply those methods to have success in other areas. So, at the beginning of the year, it is a great time to look back on the year and determine our successes and the reasons for those successes. 

2. Clarify your vision. As Stephen Covey once said about the habits of successful people, “Begin with the end in mind.”  Make sure every team member starts the new year with a clear understanding of the desired future for 2025. Your vision should excite and motivate your team members.

3. Raise the bar. Your customers and clients continually raise their expectations for your products and/or services. To keep pace with these expectations, it will be vital for you to set higher targets on some of your most strategic goals. Set clear and measurable goals and expectations for each team member that support the new targets.

4. Invest in your team. Create development plans for every employee and provide necessary development opportunities. We know that the most engaged employees list development opportunities as the number one thing they look for in a job. Having development plans in place helps ensure everyone knows their goals and is more likely to accomplish them. This also helps improve your team’s bandwidth and your performance as a leader.

5. Foster innovation.  How do great companies stay ahead of their competition? They hire great people who, at the core of their DNA, want to innovate, and then they make innovation everyone’s responsibility. Overall, innovation is challenging to foster at will. To help with this, plan brainstorming meetings, in person if possible, to help your team get their creative juices going. 

6. Give feedback early and often.  Organizational assessments we conduct all too often indicate that employees do not receive regular or helpful feedback from managers and supervisors.  Make it a habit this year to provide employees with frequent feedback on performance and progress. If you wait until the annual performance review, it’s too late for them to do anything about it, and then we wonder why employees are not meeting their goals.

7. Focus on wellness.  To reduce your stress and increase your productivity by making it a priority to take care of yourself and encourage your team to do the same. Exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, relax more, and take time to balance your personal and professional life. What would that look like for you? Be an example for your team. Also, showing your team that you care about their well-being will improve their commitment and engagement. 

8. Give thanks.  If you are unsure how gratitude relates to leadership, think about this: What if none of your employees showed up for work today? How would you serve your customers and accomplish the day? If you think about this, it should be easy to be grateful for the people on your team. Recognition and gratitude are habits. Find ways to show appreciation for the gifts your team members bring each day.  Click here to read more about “Gratitude’s Role in Leadership.”

Hopefully, you can incorporate some of these resolutions for 2025!  By focusing on these key areas, you can start the new year strong and with a more resilient and capable team. Happy New Year!