2015 is about to come to a close. The hustle of the end of the year crunch, whether it be at home or work, will make it difficult for leaders to prepare for 2016.
For leaders to continuously grow into the future, it is important that they reflect on their past performance. Deep personal reflection is one of the most powerful tools in a leader’s toolkit.
Find some time to reflect. You will be glad you did. Find your favorite chair and your favorite journaling device, block off 2 hours on your busy calendar, and answer these 5 simple questions about your leadership to wind down 2015 and prepare for 2016:
1. What went well in 2015? – I am sure things went well. Write them down and recognize those things. Too often as leaders, we run right to the negative.
2. What could have gone better in 2015? – This list is important, also, and often it is the longer of the two lists.
Don’t rush these first two questions. Write or type until you can’t really think of anything else. Review your calendar from the past year to trigger thoughts. After you feel you have thoroughly answered the first two questions, move to questions 3 through 5:
3. What do I need to KEEP doing in 2016? There are things that are going well for you. Capitalize and leverage those things into 2016.
4. What do I need to START doing in 2016? As part of the challenge, there are things that you may need to start doing to improve your leadership.
5. What do I need to STOP doing in 2016? – Last time I checked, there are still only 24 hours in a day. If we are going to start doing new things, then we must STOP doing things as well. This is one of a leader’s greatest challenges.
“If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.” – Peter DruckerTweet This
Try this out and let me know how it goes.
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