New goals, new dreams!

The best part about Christmas Holidays is New Years Day!  The end of the calendar year excites me. 

Every year as the weeks wind down to days, I look forward to this phase because, for me, it is an opportunity to reflect on the past year and to develop goals as the New Year is ushered in. 

This morning, I joined a few hundred other hearty, enthusiastic Vancouverites for the local Resolution Run in Stanley Park.  It was picture perfect:  clear, clear blue skies, above zero temperatures, and a great post-race spread.  On that side of my life, my goals for 2013 include aspirations to continue to stretch me into areas I’ve never explored before – new events, new distances, and new training plans.

On the leadership side of my life (and similarly to you leaders out there), some of the questions I ask myself as I develop new goals and aspirations are as follows:

·         What are the things/events I’m most proud of in the past year?

·         What impact have my actions had?

·         Have my actions and influences resulted in an overall betterment for my personal/work  mission?

·         What impact do I want to have in the upcoming year?

·         What are the best strategies and tools at my disposal to do the best that I can?

And so on…must sound familiar and similar to what many of you and others think about at this time of year.  Of course, some goals are personal and some are professional, while some are intertwined. 

This upcoming year, as in all years since I started my career, I’m going to be given the opportunity to stretch my abilities and skills in Leadership.  Leadership, as a field, has much to do about the self, but it also has a lot to do with leading and coaching others.  Naturally, both aspects are inseparable (like one hand washing the other), and what’s really exciting is that the more one learns to lead others most effectively through positive coaching, the better leader one becomes.  So in addition to all the exciting opportunities you might have ahead of you to develop your skills and actions to bring out the best in your teams (which you know will also make you a better  and more effective leader), let me offer another resource I’ve bookmarked for myself for 2013.  It is a website devoted (in their own words) “…to energizing and transforming organizations through research on the theory and practice of positive organizing and leadership. “  Please see the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship for additional resources.

A final word for you to remember cited from my friend and colleague’s website. (Dr. Jim Hill can be found at Positive-Leader.com):

 Positive Leadership focuses on relationships, not roles.

Every person has the potential to be a positive force in the workplace or community. Positive Leaders consistently match their values and beliefs to building something that improves their world. A high tide raises all boats.

Thanks Jim, and thanks to you for reading.  Happy New Year!!