January often brings urgency and high expectations for leaders. There is a sense that you should be back on: motivated, clear-headed and ready to make decisive moves from day 1. Your teams are looking to you for direction, stakeholders want to see results right away and your inbox and calendar fill up before you can say “whelp!”
Before you’ve
had a moment to breathe, the year feels likes it’s already running you. The pressure to do before having a chance to
think becomes overwhelming.
The Cost of “Hitting the Ground Running”
“Hit the ground running” sounds productive, right? But when you rush into the year without reflection you end up:
-
carrying unresolved fatigue from the previous year into
the new year;
-
defaulting to reactive decision-making rather than
thoughtful leadership;
-
setting priorities based on urgency rather than
importance; and
- not having time to provide clarity for your teams
Before you do hit the ground running, reflect on the following:
What has
actually changed since last year?
What still
matters?
What no longer matters?
These will
help you identify what you need to focus on.
Setting Intentions Is Not the Same as Goal-Setting
When you set
goals, you ask What do we want to achieve?
When you set intentions, you ask How do I want to lead while achieving it?
To help you
set your intentions ask yourself:
How do I want
to lead this year?
What do I
want to be known for as a leader?
What am I no
longer willing to carry into this year?
Where do I need to be more deliberate, not just more productive?
By setting
your intentions you can avoid chasing your goals in unhealthy ways by
defaulting to over-working, micro-managing, or driving results at the expense
of trust and sustainability.
The Tone You Set Also Impacts Your Teams
Whether you realise it or not, your team takes emotional cues from you. If you are frantic, over-loaded and immediately pushing for results, your team absorbs your energy and that could potentially impact their performance and their sense of psychological safety.
On the other
hand, when you lead with intention you can create a sense of steadiness for your
team, you can show that thoughtfulness is important and valued, and you can
build trust through consistency rather than urgency.
Simple Practices to Lead With Intention
Leading with intention starts with small consistent practice. After identifying your intentions:
Create decision filters so that you can check whether an ask aligns to your intentions before you say yes.
Set and stick to your boundaries.
Slow the first few weeks down and create time for
thinking and reflection.
Communicate your intentions to your team by telling them what you will be focusing on and give them permission to hold you accountable.
A Different Kind of Start
January
doesn’t have to be loud or frantic to be effective. Strong leadership at the start of the year
can be quiet where you listen, reflect and choose carefully instead of
reacting. As you step into the new year
consider that you don’t have to prove anything right away and that you can take
the time to first set the tone for everything that you and your team will
accomplish this year.