The Morning After…

I trust you all had a good, relaxing time with family and friends throughout the holidays.

One of the joys of consulting is developing professional friendships you know will last a lifetime. For my first blog of 2015, I want to thank and acknowledge John Mina, Managing Partner, Willis Group Holdings, for providing the title. John has been a great sounding board and leader I’ve enjoyed collaborating with for several years now.

How to Start 2015

Well…as John put it, with the holidays and 2014 behind us, its now the morning after! Where do you pick it up from? What do you do first, second, etc??

To lead, first ground yourself in the goals you’ve established for yourself. What goals are real and what goals are nice-to-haves? Focus on how YOU want to be perceived this year based on your successes (and how you overcame failures) last year.

What two behavioral characteristics are important to you now? How do you want to credential yourself this year in the eyes of your team, your clients and your family?

Set the Tone for Your Directs

Think about adding in the ability to welcome peer and team feedback of you, along with acknowledging each direct’s positive characteristics. The next step is to review and verify each direct’s developmental goals. Listen carefully to each direct’s desires with the intention of learning something unique from them. The more you know, the more trusted and supportive you become.

Feel free to share with them some of your developmental goals. That level of humility says volumes about you and your desire to lead. You’ve got things to prove, too!

Try out these ideas and let me know.