A Thoughtful Beginning

Sometimes we’re all so excited for the big finish, we forget to enjoy a thoughtful beginning. In fact, how we start anything directly informs the result.

The new year is no different. We shouldn’t waste it. Write down goals, personal and professional. Take the time to set expectations. If you are a leader, remember that every team member deserves the dignity of understanding how they can participate in the masterpiece of the year to come. How will the work lead to learning, happiness and personal satisfaction? The less people wonder about this, the more they will achieve.

I sent a note to my 96,000 colleagues on the dawn of the new year — thoughts, dreams, and ideas – which I then echoed in my global Employee Kickoff meeting (an event we designed for the sole purpose of starting the year well).

Here are a few of those thoughts for your consideration:

Don’t rush past these early days of the new year. Many people think “new year’s resolutions” are a silly cliché about starting something we will never finish. I disagree. We shouldn’t miss the opportunity to go for change, especially when it’s hard. The human experience is a learning process. Let’s learn something new, admit a weakness, double down on a strength or a passion. We can’t stop with the idea itself – let’s write it down so we set a new personal goal. Dream it. Believe it. Do it. If we each commit to a rewarding new chapter in our own journey, anything is possible!

Let’s focus on our mental and emotional health. This is a 24/7 “always on” world. Sometimes, it’s too much of a good thing. Our minds are overburdened to the point where we struggle to recognize what matters and what doesn’t. We should really focus on resetting this balance. I appreciate some of the activities going on in the company right now in this regard. Thousands of us have already participated in SAP’s innovative mindfulness training programs, as one example. Beyond these efforts, our team should all do what it takes to be happier. For me, I love basketball. You might love to run, read, cook, or paint. Embrace whatever you love to do. Do more of it. None of us can do good work for the company if we don’t keep ourselves well.

Finally, we live in a world where the conversation is increasingly angry. Let’s face it; consensus is hard. It’s a work in progress. Along the way, we can make things a little better if we realize that a different view doesn’t always negate the opposing side’s good intentions. If we make SAP a place where disagreement is always welcome but also always civil, maybe we’ll give the world a role model it badly needs. In every situation, let’s show respect and remember a simple rule: the best idea must always win, regardless of who delivers it. This is the essence of emotional intelligence. We can find the balance between strategically sound and emotionally pleasing – a place where everyone feels at home in a big picture they helped to shape.

The ultimate measure of a team is not merely what it already achieved, but also the far reaches of its untapped potential. What we focus on in life expands. So the question goes to all of us: what aspirations are worthy of our focus? How will we channel our focus to serve our customers, lift up our partners, be good colleagues, help the world run better and improve people’s lives? No corporate memo can answer these questions; it’s up to us.

Everything starts and ends with our forever mentality. For SAP, our enduring vision is to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. The true measure of a leader isn’t what we take from this world, it’s what we give.

Remember in this new year to give yourself the benefit of an optimistic outlook for what’s possible. Commit yourself to an outcome bigger than yourself, but never at the expense of your own health. Wellness enables goodness.

In the end, after we have poured ourselves into a year of meaningful progress, we’ll look back with gratitude on how it all began.