Thursday's Leadership Insight, Ditch Resolutions, Choose to Reflect, Picture, Plan with S.M.A.R.T. Goals, Act, Review, and Redo Using One Word.
Today, the beginning of a new year has been interrupted by senseless violence. My thoughts and prayers go to all who suffered from this unspeakable act of terrorism.in New Orleans, I have faith that these criminals and terrorists will be systematically brought to justice.
As I put the final touches on this week's article, it was New Year's Day, a time of celebration, reflection, and promise, and today, sadness and anger. As you are taking in the day and considering what 2025 holds for you, your leadership, and those you serve, it is very tempting to fall into a centuries-old trap and impediment to leadership growth. That trap is the making New Year's resolutions. We have seen lots of models and examples of making resolutions in the days leading up to ?New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve itself. We have all seen celebrities proclaiming to be more tolerant, nicer, to thrive or make the playoffs. These resolutions all seem tremendous, yet they miss some prominent ingredients, such as substance and specifics. I am especially leery of the resolutions that start with "This Year I think I will…... "Resolutions are a trap with a long history. Resolutions-making may go back to the Babylonian spring equinox practice of making resolutions for the upcoming season, according to a ?2023? article in ?Merriam-Webster, New Year's Resolutions: A Pretty Old Practice.?? The authors write, "It would appear that New Year's resolutions have existed for quite a long time. A 1671 entry from the diaries of Anne Halkett, a writer and member of the Scottish gentry, contains a number of pledges, typically taken from biblical verses such as "I will not offend any more." Halkett titled this page "Resolutions" and wrote them on January 2, which would possibly indicate that the practice was in use at the time, even if people did not refer to it as a?New Year's resolution.
It was familiar enough by the beginning of the 19th?century that people would make (and fail to keep) such resolutions that the habit was satirized. An article from?Walker's Hibernian Magazine?in 1802 states that "the following personages have begun the year with a strong of resolutions, which they all solemnly pledged to keep" before enumerating a series of obviously fictitious resolutions
?Quiters Day is the second Friday in January. This year, it is January 10, 2025.
Despite the long tradition of resolution-making and failing, there is now research that proves most resolutions fail; Jeff Haden on January 3, 2020, Inc . Magazine article,A Study of 800 Million Activities Predicts Most New Year's Resolutions Will Be Abandoned on January 19: How to Create New Habits That Actually Stick.
Hayden was referring to what is known as "Quitters Day. "Quiters Day is the second Friday in January. This year, it is January 10, 2025. On this day, using data from Strava, an organization that collects physical activity and exercise from electronic devices people wear. Activity reports rise dramatically after the new year and drop significantly on the second Friday of January. Strava predicts that a majority of people will drop their resolutions. Beyond that, 80% of those who survive Quitters Day abandon their goals by mid-February. Apple understands this from a marketing point of view. The Apple 10 Watch ads report that a solution to quitters day is the Apple 10 Watch with its data and reporting system. The Apple 10 could indeed be a part of the behavior change process as it provides data; however, more is needed, such as embracing a specific process of change.
The fact remains that the resolution-making process, despite being a practice with a long and celebrated tradition, has dubious value and is a setup for failure. Leadership Expert Michael Hyatt writes in a Focus article? Why You Shouldn't Bother Making New Year's Resolutions that traditional New Year's resolutions often fail for four reasons:
1. Lack of intrinsic motivation: Many resolutions are based on external pressures rather than a genuine personal desire for change?????????
2. Poor design: Resolutions are often vague and not specific or measurable
3. Unrealistic expectations: People set overly ambitious goals without considering their current habits and lifestyle
4. Timing: January 1 is an arbitrary date that may not align with when a person is truly ready to make a change. "
January 1 is the calendar end of the year, yet it is not a terminal point in a leader's journey. Simon Sinek would say in the infinite game, He reminds leaders that they are in an endless game requiring a long-term process and picture.
Hyatt writes in the same article, "This cycle of setting and breaking resolutions can lead to feelings of guilt, decreased motivation, and lowered self-esteem."
New Year's Eve, while a calendar end or beginning point is not an ending point, it is still a great time to pause and reflect and course correct. Instead of setting oneself up for disappointment in the resolution-making process, there is a better way.
.The new year is a time to start and embrace a new process to a more practical approach to personal and professional growth:
That process is a five-step change framework ?of Reflect, Picture, Plan using S.M.A.R.T. Act, Review, Reflect, and Redo ?and is described below:
1. Reflect
Reflection provides a starting point for any change process. Before diving into new goals, leaders should take time to reflect on the past year. As John Dewey wisely noted, "We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience."reflection is the way to learn from the past.
.Reflection is a crucial and continual leadership skill that allows leaders to gain perspective, learn from their experiences, and make more thoughtful decisions moving forward in Smart Leadership. Miller writes, "From time to time, we must pull up deliberately putting some distance between ourselves and the activities of the day if we want to lead well only in the distance can we create a proper perspective. Miller refers to this practice as building margin in a leadership practice. Leadership expert Claude Warner emphasizes the importance of reflection: "Stepping back and reflecting increases self and situational awareness, promotes learning, informs change, creates greater flexibility in responses, and maximizes leadership impact." although reflection is a crucial daily practice, New Year's Eve provides an excellent time for a long term reflection based on these questions.
.????? 1. What were my most significant accomplishments last year?
2. What challenges did I face, and how did I overcome them?
3. What lessons did I learn that I can apply to the future?
Leadership Expert John Maxwell writes the activities reflected upon become insights for action. A more detailed reflection plan and guide can be found in John Maxwell's Guide to Thinking and Reflection.
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2. Picture
A productive reflection period will provide a picture for the leader in the development of their leadership practice. Embracing this process offeof a vision for a leader's practice and the organization's moving forward.
.3.Plan with S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Once the leader has embraced a process to reflect on the past intentionally and developed a picture and a vision moving forward, it's time to set specific goals for the coming year. Instead of vague resolutions, proclamations, and lofty slogans,? embracing the SMART framework will create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound steps to complete the journey.
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the S.M.A.R.T. Goals provide a framework to reach the picture and the vision and steer the journey
Specific:
Clearly define what you want to accomplish
Measurable:
?Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress.
Achievable:
Ensure your goal is attainable given your resources and constraints
??Relevant:
Align your goal with your broader picture objectives and values
Time-bound:
?Set a deadline to create urgency and focus
For example, instead of proclaiming in a resolution to "be a better leader," an S.M.A.R.T. goal might be: "Complete a leadership development course and implement three new strategies to improve team communication by June 30."
4. Act on Your Goals
Leadership is action and an ongoing practice of inside-outside development to build people up and get things done. A leader embracing the five-step process with S.M.A.R.T. goals in place has to choose to act by breaking down goals into smaller, manageable tasks and creating a plan to tackle them consistently. This creates what author James Clear refers to as an atomic habit, which becomes a routine to reinforce actions. As leadership expert John C. Maxwell says, "The secret of your success is found in your daily routine."
5. Review, Reflect and Redo
The five-step framework and S.M.A.R.T. goal process provide for regular specific review, which is essential for maintaining progress. The intentional use of reflection on a consistent basis allows learning to spark adjustments or redo your course as needed. An intentional practice of S.M.A.R.T. goals provides a system for tracking goal progress and intentional reflection with scheduled periodic check-ins to learn, connect, and engage others on the team to provide course correction. As Jon Gordon notes, "Without accountability, there can be no trust, and without trust, there can be no meaningful collaboration."
.An accountability partner or mentor is an excellent way to stay on task to help keep you on track. Leadership author Mark Miller emphasizes the importance of this practice: "Accountability is the catalyst that turns good intentions into great performance."
Embrace the process
The key to this framework is embracing and committing to follow this process intentionally. The leader who holds themselves and those they lead accountable and embraces this process will grow as a leader and inspire those around them to do the same.
Mentors, trusted colleagues, coaches, and trainers are valuable external resources on the journey. A simple, easy-to-use method of internal affirmation and motivation is provided by Jon Gordon, positive leadership expert and the author of the Energy Bus. He has developed a simple affirmation, a compass for any change process, in his book ?One Word. In this book, Jon explains the power of one word and how to choose and use your personalized One Word. More information on this excellent resource is available at his webpage: https://jongordon.com/book/one-word/.
?A leader's personal and professional growth is an ongoing journey, not a destination. By ditching the traditional resolutions–making cycle and embracing the more intentional 5 step framework of reflection, picture, and plan using SMART goal-setting,? action, and regular review, reflection, and redo as needed. A leader will be better equipped to make meaningful progress throughout the year. As Craig Groeschell, leadership expert and Global Leadership Network ?Champion, says, "When the leader gets better, everyone else gets better. The practice of intentionally embracing the five-step framework of change in one's leadership practice is the gift all those one leads need and deserve. It is a gift that will keep on giving.
The Leadership Question for you, then, is
1.?? Will you choose to ditch the resolution and embrace the five-step framework to guide your leadership practice?
Happy New Year- make it your best!
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