Resolve to Invest in Your Leadership

It's that time of year again when many of us make New Year's resolutions.  The turning of the page at the stroke of midnight on December 31st provides a point at which many of us believe or aspire to a new level of performance at a personal or professional level or both.  Unfortunately, the rate at which these resolutions are kept and the extent of actual achievement falls far short of the inspired vision that created them.  In fact, some studies have identified that of those people who have made resolutions less than 10% will actually see them through in the course of the coming year. 

In the context of your leadership what have you resolved to do differently (and presumably better) in the coming year?  If you are an individual and a leader possessed of any degree of personal humility you would recognize that there is always opportunity for improvement.  Think back in the past year to those moments in which your leadership was challenged, where you struggled or were frustrated with getting results or getting results in a timely fashion, and even in those circumstances where you spent more than a few sleepless nights challenged by a key decision with seemingly no right answer.  With the benefit of hindsight what would you have done differently?  What skills or experience are going to better equip you for the challenges to come in 2014?  What are you going to do differently to better prepare yourself?  What are you prepared to invest in becoming a better leader?

As a TEC Canada Chair and an Executive Coach, I've engaged with many leaders, both formally and informally in the past year.  It's been interesting to note that, despite the diversity of industries and differences in years of experience of these leaders, the issues they face are often are quite similar.  Moreover, as leaders they also consistently struggle with the fact that they don't have a confidential resource at their disposal to bounce ideas off of, to express their own doubts about a plan of attack, or to simply have a forum to "talk-out-loud" without fear of being judged.  Most recognize the value of such a confidential resource or forum but not all avail themselves of the opportunity to engage such expertise.  Why?  There are a range of reasons that do come up but two of the most common are Time and Money. 

Considering those objections to engaging a confidential external resource it seems to me these leaders are undervaluing an investment in themselves and their leadership.  Given the fact these leaders are making decisions sometimes valued in the millions of dollars, impacting on hundreds or more staff, and countless more clients or customers, it seems to me that an investment in ongoing leadership development and support would make for a quite positive ROI calculation.  So while I can assume that a majority of leaders have implicitly or explicitly made some "resolutions" about how 2014 will be better than 2013 they may not be giving themselves all the ammunition they need to succeed.  And maybe they get lucky and are part of the 10% that make it despite all barriers, obstacles and challenges.  However, I'd like to think that for a few dollars and few hours of support each month those odds of success turn decisively in your favor.

Resolutions can provide you with a great personal vision.  Turning those resolutions into reality and success benefits from you - The Leader - making a commitment to truly investing in yourself.  Engaging with an objective and unbiased sounding board that will help you assess the past, build on your strengths, set clear and specific goals, and help you stay accountable to your plans - this is what makes a resolution and your leadership development a reality. 

As a leader, you one of the greatest assets your organization has.  Your Time and Your Money (and that of your organization) are precious commodities.  Invest this time and money wisely and to good effect.  In the context of your responsibilities you owe it to yourself and your organization to continuously sharpen your leadership acumen.  It's about you and it's about your leadership.

Resolve to invest in your leadership in 2014.
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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.