By Sondra Calhoun
As we kick off this new year, it often feels exciting to start fresh and renewed. Many of us create resolutions to stop doing that which does not benefit us and start doing the things that will lead to a successful year. As leaders, new starts are continual throughout the year and not just in January. We take on a new role, we hire a new team member, we set new goals for our organization and teams, and we commit to growing our leadership skills.
Three definitive behaviors will help us to intentionally deliver at a high level on these responsibilities to ourselves and others.
1. Setting clear expectations – whether it is with onboarding a new team member, resetting with someone who is not performing, or taking on a new project or responsibility, it is critical that we align expectations. We need to be clear about priorities, impacts of success and failure, resources that will be required, support that will be given, and how to know when it's time to pivot.
2. Committing to observations – inspecting what we expect is critical. It’s impossible to give accurate and meaningful feedback and course corrections if we wait until the end of a time period or project to see what results have been achieved. There’s a concept called “managing by walking around”. Though it takes on a new look given hybrid and remote work, the intent doesn’t change. Checking in on the progress of projects, life challenges, or team dynamics on a regular basis can be done with zoom or a phone call just as easily as stopping by someone’s desk as long as we are committed to it.
3. Having meaningful conversations – everyone desires to give account of the work they are delivering and the challenges they are facing. None of us want others to be the only ones telling our stories. Leaders must create the space for employees to provide feedback about their leadership, ask questions in regard to employee successes and failures, understand what’s supporting the wins and what’s creating roadblocks, and know the dreams and aspirations of the people they support.
These three aspects of leadership may seem overly simple, but the impact of being dedicated to them is huge. The challenge is making them a priority with all of the meetings, tasks, and problem solving we are involved in. The exciting result of intentionally committing to them is fewer meetings, less tasks we must own, and fewer problems to solve.