After looking into Motivational Mondays, and what keeps you motivated, you now need to come up with a plan of Action to start those new Habits to being a great leader.  Before you begin, ask yourself some of these questions that you need to reflect on for yourself this past year as a leader before knowing what you need to continue to focus on for the future.

1.  What were some of the highlights in your leadership career this year? Accomplishments, Best Memories

2.  What were some of the disappointments in your leadership career this year? Failures, Missed Opportunities

3.  What were 3 things you focused on this year to becoming a better leader? What you put most of your time into

4.  What were 3 things you forgot to focus on this year as a leader? What you didn’t practice enough

5.  Reflection: What Goals and Plans are you going to try to focus on this next year to becoming a better Leader?

Take a moment to look at some of the steps to creating good Habits that will lead to a New You, a Better You! These are great ways to focus on YOUR leadership skills and what you bring to the table.  It’s hard to have good self confidence in any situation, especially as a leader, so take the time to really reflect on how you can be a better leader for yourself, and most importantly for others.

Here are some of the things that you must STOP doing in order to create better Habits as a leader.

1.  Stop Comparing Yourself to Others: There is more to you than you think, sometimes it just takes some exploring to find out what those talents and skills are.  You should be focusing on your STRENGTHS, not your weaknesses, and how to use those strengths to your advantages.  Remember that you were made an individual for a reason.

2.  Stop Worrying About What Others Think of You:  Remember the 4 Truths of Human Nature?  1. We are all insecure, 2. We hate to be dismissed, 3. We love to be appreciated, 4. We need to be understood.  Know that everyone is going through this, and if we started to focus more on how we can HELP others instead of worrying about what others think of us, we will lead better lives and continue to help focus our STRENGTHS on trying to serve and help others be successful as well.

3.  Stop Doubting Yourself and Your Capabilities:  If you have a great idea or you want to try something new, GO FOR IT!  You need to be willing to take a RISK in order to see change.  Change is good, it is the only thing that truly creates a positive force towards the success of a goal.  You have the talents and skills, you know that focusing on helping others rather than worrying about what they think is good, so STOP doubting what YOU can really do to help yourself and your team become better leaders for others around them.

Here are some of the things that you need to START doing in order to create good Habits as a leader.

1.  You Can’t Be Afraid to Fail:  If we didn’t take RISKS, we wouldn’t be able to try new things that might be the answer to success.  Be willing to try, fail, learn from the mistakes, and try again.

2.  Think Outside the Box: Whether that means getting other peoples opinions and ideas and then collaborating to come up with a new innovative idea, you have to be willing to think of things that have never been done before and even be willing to CHANGE some of the current things that already work in life. Maybe there is an easier, faster, more precise way to do and accomplish something, but we aren’t willing to try and see what that is because we are stuck in tunnel vision of seeing things only one way.

3.  Be a Hero:  Be a hero to someone, anyone.  People need each other and all we have to do is find out what HELP they need and be willing to provide it for them.  Talk and really make connections with people you normally would not talk to, you will be surprised and rewarded with with what you find out.

4.  Be a Part of a Team:  I can’t stress this enough, there is no “I” in “TEAM”.  You need to be willing to know that others strengths, ideas, help, and input are huge to the SUCCESS of leadership.  People just want the chance to show you that they can help and be a part of your team, give them that opportunity by ENCOURAGING them, providing them with FEEDBACK and RESOURCES, and most importantly, SUPPORTING them to be a part of the TEAM.

What will your NEW YEAR, NEW YOU, look like, feel like, sound like, as a leader this next year?