It’s that classic time to take inventory, a leadership inventory.

 

1. What did you do really well this year?

Go for it, and don’t be modest! Brainstorm with yourself on:

• All that you accomplished

• Areas where you grew

• People that you helped

• Ideas that you had

• Risks that you took

• Decisions that you made

• Things that you didn’t do that would have wasted your time

 

2. How well have you taken care of yourself?

A high-functioning organization requires a leader who can manage him or her self first. This applies on all fronts: physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual.

For example:

• Did you make and go to necessary doctors appointments?

• Did you engage in some regular physical exercise?

• How was your eating?

• Did you commit to engaging in some spiritual disciplines and follow through?

• Did you engage and grow in your areas of expertise?

 

This is no joke. Poor self-care habits will undermine your leadership effectiveness…period.

 

3. Did you set and achieve your desired goals?

Goal orientation is a high-water-mark of high functioning leaders. I prefer realistic, well-thought-out goals with a challenging stretch. Be frank and be kind to yourself.

• Did you set goals for 2013?

• Did you write them down and refer back to them at all this year?

• Can you identify what behaviors favored goal achievement and which did not?

• Peter Drucker would ask, “What activities wasted time and are not necessary?”

 

4. What is the state of your team, if applicable?

• As Jim Collins asks, “do you have the right people on the bus?”

• Have you held them accountable for their actions and goals?

• How have you “shown up” this year to them?

• Have you been more automatically reactive or more deliberately proactive?

• How clear were your objectives for them and could they see the path?

• Did you give them the resources they needed?

• Did you communicate with them effectively?

• Did you inspire them to do their best work? If so, what did that look like?

 

Optimal leadership behaviors don’t just happen and this thought process alone can be a very powerful step toward greater intentionality in 2014!