Preparing for the New Year?

As I prepare for 2024, I will do many things, but none more important than reflecting on the past year. As I was going through email this morning, I stopped to read "The Management Tip of the Day" from Harvard Business Review. It was pulled from an article called "You Don't Need to Be "the Boss" to Be a Leader" by Matt Mayberry. These three things spoke to me immediately as I believe wholeheartedly in each:

1. Embrace your existing strengths.
2. Devote time to daily development.
3. Connect with people.

BOOM! That is it, THIS is it! It is NOT that complicated; everything you have within and around you makes you successful in life and business. I cannot help but dive in...let's do this!

Embrace Your Existing Strengths...and Others

There are a million ways to tap into your strengths and a pitiful few to tap into your weaknesses. What is it that you love to do? Do that! What is it that gets you excited to jump out of bed in the morning? Do that! What is it that you are curious to learn, do, and have more of? Do that!

Don't spend more time on your weaknesses than your strengths. Pointing out what you don't know or can't do only serves to chip away at your self-confidence and give irrelevant and unproductive information to your audience. We should spend our time in the place of what CAN be done, where strategies and tactics move us forward and far away from those things that hold us back.

Devote Time to Daily Development

Put enrichment on your calendar! At a minimum, you should have one hour scheduled weekly. That is four hours monthly. This is the MINIMUM. How will you stay relevant if you don't put the time in? Gone are the days when a college degree would solve your entire career. You have to do the work every day and then learn how to do the job again and again throughout your career.

When it comes to the team you lead, focus on their strengths, not their weaknesses. How can you amplify those traits that are the strongest? How do you hone in on their expertise? You fortify strengths and minimize weaknesses. Encourage the team to be vulnerable and build upon those skills and traits.

We are fortunate to live in the Information Age and have the technology that allows us to learn in the way that best suits the individual. You decide your method of enrichment: webinar, research, reading, watching, etc. you name it, and it exists. All you have to do is set aside the time to do it. Put it on your calendar. Embrace the time to enrich yourself, enriching those who benefit from your work and leadership.

Connect With People

I am in hospitality; it is THE business of people, FOR people, WITH people. We signed up for this career because we like people! Definition check:

Oxford defines, Hospitality as "the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers."

Beyond doing the work that inspires us in providing hospitality as a business, the core of this industry is the people IN the industry. You must have relationships WITH people. This is the core of who we are, the core of the industry, and the core value of leadership. You cannot lead without relationships, and people will not follow.

All of the technology in the world will not replace the value of relationships with other people. Spend time with people who inspire, challenge, and motivate you. Choose your circle or tribe and invest in those relationships that serve you and where you are best served.

In Conclusion...

I practice what I preach. All of it, the positive and the negative! We are human, after all. The difference is that I am willing to call myself out and correct course. To get back into alignment. Here is how I am executing these principles:

1. I embrace my strengths and admit my weaknesses personally. I don't "tell on myself" in either case, communicating my strengths or weaknesses, but I work on each internally as I set my intentions. I know who I am, own who I am, and focus on things I can control and let go of everything else.
2. I read every day. Right now, I am reading quite a few books, "For Dummies," because I love the ease of the read. I like to read about subjects I already know, in which case these books reinforce my knowledge or correct it with newer, more relevant information.
3. I stay connected with my "tribe." Personally and professionally, my relationships are the most sacred of all things in my life. To know me is to know that I will protect my tribe fearlessly yet always hold them to the same expectations I have for myself. Loyalty and trust are paramount, and integrity is key.

As you consider the new year and those inevitable resolutions, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your strengths, learning habits, and relationships. How can you implement these principles in your journey?

Next...2024 Resolutions and what 2023 Resolved.

Lori Kiel