As the clock ticks over to 2023 goal setting season starts… or at least time for some new year resolutions. So… what do we all want to achieve this year?
Outside regular personal resolutions… going to the gym, losing a few pounds and being brave enough to wear those jazzy socks you were given with smart casual business dress… how should we think about what else we should add to our lists?
Reflections with friends
The holidays is always a busy time, meeting family, friends and old colleagues. Between catching up, laughing together, and eating mince pies, I was also reminded how I used to think about this too.
We all have people we admire or look up to. This may be for something they achieved, how they behaved or just how they always seemed to breeze through things you found, well much more difficult.
Maybe it is just the latent scientist in me, but by carefully listening and taking a reductionist approach, I would always try to think about what exactly these qualities were and the behaviours at their core.
Later, on being presented with a challenge, I would think… how would they approach this problem, decision or task… imagining them in my shoes and tugging heavily on their qualities for inspiration. It really did work and always helped with new perspectives to solve issues.
Getting a refreshed by going back
However, in getting older, busier and maybe spending more time looking around the corporate ladder than going up, it is easy to forget about all this and just concentrate on the day to day.
Yet, with a bit of a shake, I realised this is still important and there is much to learn, from people I admire. Looking back can sometimes be as refreshing as looking forward.
So this year behavioural goals are back on the list…
- Listen, watch and understand more
- Working with people is always more powerful that working alone – do that more
- Connect on a human level – people are people and we are all similar in many ways
- Reach out and be inclusive, meet new people – you never know
- Think long-term – investing is just as important, if not more so, than short-term wins
- Be decisive, always respectful and business-like, but decisive when needed
- Make decisions on facts and data, rather than opinion – try to understand the bigger picture and what is really happening
… and by picking a few folks to admire, and emulating some of their behaviours, 2023 can hopefully be a year of learning a few new things… and one that can be reciprocated by helping people back too.
Happy new year everyone.
