Keys For A Successful Close

Don't overlook these 3 things as you close out the year.

The end of the year is a very busy time for everyone, especially leaders. Whether you lead a business, team, or organization there is a lot to get done. If you've gone through the cycle of year end a time or two, you know that getting things done takes center stage.?

The other thing that commands our attention is celebration. We attend various celebrations and year end gatherings, which can bookend our weeks for the entire month! Celebration is a really good thing. In fact, we should create more time to do it during the year. The point is that there are some typical places to focus on during year end. However, there are a couple of things that you may not be thinking about that would really benefit from your focus.??

Reflecting on the divine guidance over the past several months, I understand quite a bit about what does and will matter to people in the months to come. The behavior, values and experience that people have with their leaders will be one of the most significant data points people use to make decisions. Leaders, especially direct managers, typically have a higher impact on whether or not key talent stays in a business. This tells us that under normal circumstances, the regular interaction they have with their manager is a pretty good predictor of whether or not someone wants to continue to be in their employ.

So why does that matter so much now? In times of uncertainty, people naturally look for certainty. Typically we will look at the current circumstances and assess the likelihood of things staying the same. That works well if the way you are showing up as a leader is in alignment with who you are and what you believe. But what happens when you are caught up in the flurry of activities and your team experiences dissonance? How much difference can one month make?

A lot.

Thanks to recency bias, a person may weigh recent events more heavily than historic events, even if they have significantly more data. Recency bias can be a natural occurrence in people and the truth is we can’t control what another person highlights as their experience.??

What you can control is how you show up. By creating clarity about who you are, what you value and how you lead, you can ensure that people experience the heart of who you are on an ongoing basis. The best part of this is that it is super simple. It just means that you actually get to focus on being you.??

3 Keys For Year End Success

Self-Care

The sheer flow of activities, holidays and processes in December can make it difficult for anyone to keep their regular self-care routine. But taking care of yourself is not an option. As an effective leader, you have to take care of yourself in order to lead. It also sends a message to your team that you value yourself, which can reflect that value back to them. The point is to model and encourage good self-care. Your team will want to know you care beyond the year end review and incentives.?

One simple method to connect on self care is to ask your team what is one thing that they are doing to prioritize their self care during this month. Make sure you share yours as well. Bonus points to the leaders who create space for team members to share what they are doing for everyone’s benefit. For example, you could have a 2-3 minute mindfulness moment at the beginning of a meeting or spotlight a person each week and have them share a link to a favorite meditation.?

Core Values

Our values are like directions on a compass. When we operate in ways that are misaligned with our values, we know we are off track. Interestingly, your more intuitive and observant team members may see it before you realize it. When was the last time that you reflected on your core values? How do those values come across with your team? If you are not easily able to answer either question, you have some work to do. The great thing is you can gather all you need with a simple question: What are your core values???

If you have created them already, take a moment to reflect on them. If not, there are countless exercises and value decks that can help you define what they are. That should be your starting point. The next step is to ask yourself if they still align. If they do, that is great! You can plan to revisit them again in the future. If not, what is missing that you truly hold as a core value? Typical recommendations are between 3-5 core values.

Gathering intel from your team does not have to be a high stakes investigative process.? One of the best things to do is to simply ask. Try these to open the conversation:

• As I do my personal year end reflection, I would appreciate you sharing what you believe are my core values.? What comes to mind for you?
• I have been reflecting on how well my core values are showing up in how I lead.? Can you share any examples of how you experience my [insert values]???
• I value your opinion and hope you could give me some feedback. This year I have been strengthening my connection to my core values. I’ve been working on [insert value].? Have you noticed any meaningful shifts?? How else do you think I might better demonstrate it as a value?

Pushing past resistance to ask the questions is a gift you can give to yourself. Perhaps your values are perfectly clear. Now you know for sure! What if there are some simple yet meaningful things you can do to ensure that you are owning your values? They often see what you can’t and in this instance, what they see and assume is meaningful.?

This is not about changing to be what someone else wants; It is about you showing up as the truth of who you are. Being you gives people a more consistent experience, which creates confidence. If they in turn find alignment in the way you lead, you have a much greater chance of positively influencing their experience.??

Be The Model

We all know the adage, “Do as I say, not as I do.”? We also know that we are not naturally wired that way. We lean towards the visual and tangible examples over what we hear. One of my mentors provided great in the moment coaching for me early in my career. He heard me encouraging my team to leave early so they could get some rest after working to prepare for a visit. I was staying behind to get a couple of other things completed. I saw what I did as supportive, demonstrating my desire to be a good servant leader. He offered the perspective that I might be confusing them. His core message to me was that they might experience conflict as I stayed behind to work. They were more likely to feel confident that I really wanted them to get rest if I also left with the same intention.

People want to know that they can trust what you are saying and will look for the behavioral cues to support it. In my example, it was important for me to model the behavior more frequently. If you really think about it, how can someone believe you think something is so very important but you won’t do it for yourself??

The other part to modeling what you want to see involves being intentional about teaching them.? When you invest in developing people, creating opportunities for them to lead, and helping them develop more context about the impact they make on the business, you create healthy ties for them. People want to be a part of something meaningful and important. As you teach them “what” and show them “how,” you will deepen your connections with them.

My hope for you is that as you read these keys they reminded you of what you already know. That is the point.? You already know how to lead and how important it is to take care of yourself and others. The goal is to move from knowing to doing on a consistent basis. Don’t allow the urgent to crowd out the important as you close the year. Maximize the time by doing what you know matters to yourself and your team. What you nurture now can provide a beautiful harvest for you in the new year.

Interested in learning more about Anika’s work as an advisor and coach? Visit her website or click here for more.