New Years Leadership Development Goals

New Year's Leadership Development Goals New Year's Leadership Development Goals December. For many leaders, it’s a time to reflect on accomplishments for the year and establish goals for the upcoming New Year.  It’s also a good time to set leadership development goals, either as part of a formal development planning process or simply because it’s a proven way to continuously improve as a leader. Leadership development goals should always be specific and relevant to you, the individual leader, and linked to your goals at the workplace, there are most likely a few common ones that most any leader could benefit from. Here’s a list to choose from. While all of them are worthy goals, it’s best to focus on the one to three. Then, once sufficient progress is made, you can always go back and select a new goal or goals. You may also find that many of the goals are related to each other, which is often the case. The key is to pick the one that seems to be at the root cause. For the Upcoming New Year, My Goals Are To: Delegate more.  My unwillingness or inability to let go is causing me to work long hours, preventing me from having the time to be more strategic, and is retarding the development of my team. I’ll do some serious self-reflection, or work with a coach or mentor, to figure out what?s?  ?causing me not to delegate.  Is it my own ego? Is it a lack of confidence in my team? Once I get to the root cause, I will create a list of everything I do and make hard decisions on what to delegate, who to delegate to, how to do it, and by when. Be more strategic.  Being more strategic will help me improve my ability to see the big picture and take a longer range, broader business perspective. I’ll learn to step back from the day-to-day tactical details of my business and focus on the “why ” not just the “what” and “how.” Be a better listener.  I need to learn to pay attention and demonstrate to others that I value what they have to say. I’ll use active listening, open-ended questions, body language, and eliminate distractions that get in the way of my ability to listen. Micromanage less  (or not at all).  No one likes to think of themselves as a micromanager, but after taking this quiz,  I realized I have room for improvement. Delegating more will help, but it will be important to give my team members the freedom to do it their way, without me breathing down their necks. Improve my financial acumen.  I need to learn how to understand, interpret, and use “the numbers” to improve my business. I’ll start by taking an Excel course, then a  â€œFinance for Non-Financial Managers” course. Take action on chronic under-performers.  I’ve been allowing one to two C-player employees to get away with under-performance for way too long. It’s affecting my organization, my own performance, the morale of the rest of my team, and I’m not doing these under-performers any favors by covering up for them. Be a better coach. For the rest of my team (the B and C-players), I need to spend more time coaching and developing them. I need to shift my leadership style away from always directing and telling and learn to guide and develop my direct reports. I’ll work with each of my direct reports to create their own  individual development plans. Improve my work-life balance.  My insanely long hours are having an impact on my performance, health, personal relationships, and I’m setting a terrible example for my employees. Delegating more will help, as well as micromanaging less â€"  practicing mindfulness in all areas of my life will help incredibly. I’ll get a handle on where I’m wasting time, and shift my focus to more value-added activities. I’ll learn ways to work more efficiently and prioritize tasks. Create my own succession plan. I’ll never get the promotion I want if I’m too indispensable in my current role. Its time to create a succession plan to not only pave my own path but a path for others. Improve collaboration. I need to  improve relationships with my peers. I’ll be a better partner, strive to understand their goals and needs, and learn to work together to help achieve each other’s goals. If one of them is underperforming or struggling, I’ll offer my help.