New Year, New You

Rejuvenating, Refreshing and Reinventing YOU

What’s your personal

2015 Professional Development Strategy?   

By Micki Lewis MS, PCC, CPLP

Since we just wrapped up the end of 2014 and entered into the future of 2015, it seems appropriate to evaluate ourselves and want to do something new or different, or just be better in some way. “What are we going to work on” is the highlighted message crossing our minds.

As leaders in your organizations, you (ideally) are continually examining this question in aligning your organization’s strategy and yearly objectives with evaluating yourselves and your own professional development. You know that your BEING impacts the organization and how it operates, so you ask: “who do I need to BE in order to be an effective Leader?” You then cascade that concept down to your own teams on a regular basis. By examining our own way of Being and how we impact our teams, we can see our impact as leaders. Of course, everyone throughout the organization can benefit from these conversations about development.

Effective leaders  hold these conversations with their teams and directs on a regular basis. Of course, some other leaders come up short. They may not know how to or are uncomfortable in having the discussion. Some may choose not to use their time this way and some don’t see the value in doing this exercise. Companies hold leaders accountable to complete annual Performance Reviews once a year with their direct reports, but frequently do not hold them accountable to develop their people. Ideally, developing people would be a metric on their Performance Reviews!

Successful managers hold both performance and development 1:1 conversations on a regular basis. By doing so, the relationship is stronger and any surprises have been nipped in the bud or discussed throughout the year instead of a one-time deal at the annual review. NOTE to Leaders: PLEASE consider having Career and Professional DEVELOPMENT 1:1 discussions regularly with your team members. Studies have shown what occurs is stronger employee engagement and productivity.

As leaders, your BEING enables you to sustain and lead your teams at the highest level. It means YOU need to be sourced at the highest level as well, yet too often as leaders we give our last drop rather than make sure the tank always has some gas in it!

In order to keep your own tank running, and therefore have something for the organization and your teammates, I invite you to have the focus of 2015 be to Rejuvenate, Refresh and Reinvent OURSELVES …. And then coach our employees/direct reports/teams on the same.

 

Consider the 3 R’s:

Rejuvenate

What would be perfect to rejuvenate YOU? Such a strange question! Imagine the perfect setting and use your senses: what does it look like, feel like, taste like, sound like? What will let us breathe a big sigh?

Pick a day… Is it possible to take a break from EVERYTHING that particular day?

Realistically? Maybe it’s not totally possible, yet, maybe for an hour??? 30 minutes… think about yourself for once? How might you DO NOTHING and have NO guilt at the same time?

Name it to claim it now: ________________, ________________, ________________.

 Refresh

What is it that refreshes our spirit? When we think about the word refreshing, what comes to mind?

A cool breeze, looking out the window and seeing nothing but sky and mountains? Or the water – jumping or just frolicking (do we even use that word anymore –doesn’t it sound fun?) into a stream, a pool the ocean?

Name it to claim it now: ________________, ________________, ________________.

 Reinvent

How might we reinvent the way we see or do things? Where do we get our best ideas? Brainstorming with others or your team or better yet…brainswarming (having people write ideas rather than share aloud), thinking out loud, sketching, drawing, doodling, driving? What’s your location? In the shower or sitting in the tub (hot, deep or shallow) and just idea-izing (is that even a word?)?

Name it to claim it now: ________________, ________________, ________________.
 

Where’s YOUR Coach?

Might you have someone to partner to walk through the 3 R’s: rejuvenate, refresh and reinvent? We have had numerous coaches in our life… who is yours now?

The purpose of this article is to inspire you as well as those you coach, to CHOOSE ONE THING to refresh, rejuvenate and reinvent in ourselves, NOT everything single idea that emerged from your brain. It may be to recycle something from the past you WANT to explore more or discover about yourself again? Excellent! Choose it! Do something different!

It’s kind of like driving home using a different route, yet looking at things differently. What appears through our eyes, we may be seeing the same store, those same trees – then all of a sudden, seeing them in another way – there are unique artifacts we may have passed by a million times, yet today we are seeing these same things in a surprisingly new light.

How can we be refreshed, rejuvenated and how might we reinvent ourselves?

As a coach, we always ask the “how to’s,” funneling down all the action items to what is our FIRST STEP. So what is the first step?

  1. What is JUST ONE thing to pursue?
  2. Next: Identify what your Personal Development budget is in terms of dollars and time? Create your “budget” and then pick the ways to fulfill it: Webinars, reading, conferences, connecting with others, getting a coach, finding a mentor, networking, seminars, etc.

Remember to:

  • Keep focused on just this ONE THING for a good couple of months
  • Find or get with a Partner Coach to keep you on track and touch base quarterly.

By doing this for ourselves – YOU will be restored and able to support others in ways you cannot imagine!

What a gift for the New Year YOU will be!

For a partner in attaining a new level of wellbeing and energy for you or your team, contact us for workshops!