New Year, New You, Really?

Here we go again. Another new year is upon us, and the resolutions abound on how we might ‘change’ ourselves for the better. New Year, New You, Really? What’s wrong with the old you? What are you doing right in your business or profession? This short blog outlines how to focus on what you already excel at in business and life, and how to improve on those qualities.

Better You, not New You

“We can all be better people, leaders, and professionals.”

Is the goal to be better or new? Better denotes that there are already good things about you, or not. New implies throwing everything out and starting over. I do not know about you, but I am not an old pair of worn-out shoes with the sides split and with holes in the soles. Neither are you, so how will you become a better version of you?

1. What are your good qualities? Most of us have good qualities that can become better with a few tweaks. What are yours?
2. What are your best qualities? If you cannot identify your best qualities, well, there you go. Maybe more self-reflection is necessary to highlight those best qualities, or this is a starting point for improvement.
3. What do people like the most about you? This could be any number of things. If you are already a gym rat, that resolution is unnecessary, so why do people gravitate to you?
4. Is there something you can be better at? I am in decent health, but it can always be better with more dedication to my workout regimen. What could you be better at?
5. Does better mean pursuing a dream? What dream(s) have you continually delayed? Why? What book have you not written, marathon not run, or education you have not pursued?

“You can only become the best you after becoming the better you.”

How does becoming better apply to your leadership or profession?

Becoming a Better Leader

“Leaders are developed over time and with great care.”

(Randolph, 2019)

Good leaders are not developed overnight. One of the first steps in becoming a good leader is being or becoming a good ot better person. The good leaders I worked for were good people. The so-so or bad leaders, not so much. So, how do we become better leaders?

1. What are your top three leadership strengths? This is normally a softball question for most leaders. Their answers may not be correct because it is a selfassessment, but leaders should be able to answer this question with relative ease.

2. What are your Lesser Leadership Strengths (LLS)? Most of us have more than three leadership strengths, however, those strengths cannot be applied to every situation. So, what are your Leasser Leadership Strengths (LLS), defined as “The positive leadership attributes which are not your top three or four leadership strengths, but lesser strengths on which a leader can cultivate to improve” (Randolph, 2015). Knowing your LLS may help overcome the traits in the next question or in situations where the top three are not working.

3. What are your Negative Leadership Attributes (NLA)? Negative Leadership Attributes (NLA) is a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) that is defined as, “Weaknesses which can impede professional and personal growth.” An easier explantion would be, your character flaws. An example might be approachability. Are you approachable or do you lack affability (friendly or good natured)? My leadership has become better by working on my approcachability through improving my affability. What about you?

4. What what do others say about your leadership traits? While self-assessments have great value, how others view your leadership qualities is just as important. These two assessments coupled with formal evaluations in a Strategic Leadership Development Inventory (SLDI) (APFRI, 2009) can provide feedback on how to better your leadership.

5. What type of leader do you aspire to become? The ability to answer the above questions is great but taking action is whats most important. Have you thought about the type of leader you would like to be?

Remember, you may not become the leader you desire to be in a day, week, month, or year. As we grow in leadership levels, our maturity also develops.

Being a better person and leader are quite achievable, whereas being a new person may be unrealistic.

New Year, New You are Better You?

References:

Army Physical Fitness Research Institute (2009).  Randolph, B.W., Jr. Leadership attributes.  Strategic Leader Development Inventory, edited by T. J. Williams.  Provided in December 2009.

Randolph, Jr., B. W. (2009).  My experience at the triple r ranch: A watershed moment, I hope.  Carlisle Barracks, PA.

Randolph, Jr., B.W. (2012). Reflective Leadership Development Plan: The Triple R Ranch Revisited. Leadership Theory and Practice, University of Phoenix.

Randolph, Jr., B.W. (2019). Inspired, not retired: Leadership lessons from father to son. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing