2021 - The Hope of a Fresh Start
Updated: Jan 26, 2021
Like many, I found myself wanting more than ever the energy and excitement that a new year brings. This year, perhaps more than any, we all need that. Locked in our homes, unable to see family as easily as we are used to and the stress of working virtually have all conspired to increase our stress levels.
As I do around this time every year, I opened the archives re-visiting some of my old posts and ran across the following words, which seemed even more appropriate than when they were written 3 years ago!
For those of us who lead, or who aspire to lead, 2021 brings fresh challenges. Challenges of managing virtual teams being just one.
It remains true that it does not have to be January 1st to turn over a new leaf and start fresh. It does not have to be the first day of a new month, or a Monday, but certain realities need to be in place to really start fresh – especially for 2021!
There are all kinds of reasons why people would want to start fresh:
Boredom
Defeat
Lack of motivation
The need for a change.
To really experience the wonder of a fresh start, don’t forget the following key components.
1. Retire the Past
It is much easier to decide to start fresh than it is to put behind us the reasons we made that decision. The past is the past, and it only hinders our forward progress if we allow it to dominate us, rather than putting in the rearview mirror where it belongs.
If issues need to be settled, settle them.
If closure is required, find it. Then start fresh.
“ If issues need to be settled, settle them. If closure is required, find it. Then start fresh. "
2. Commit
Much has been said about the need for commitment as a critical underpinning of success. While I agree that it is, I think we need focus on what we commit to when we are talking about a fresh start.
“ We really need to commit to who and what we are, and equally importantly, what we can control. We cannot be someone else.
We all have qualities and strengths, which when leveraged, puts us in a position to succeed and be happy doing it. Commit to who you are, to what you believe in and to what you want. When we do, we face the future with that past where it should be an
d our focus doing the same – powerful stuff!
We also need to frame our goals and commitments by the things we can control. None of us will remove the dirge of the COVID pandemic by the wave of a magic wand – that is clearly out of our control. We can however control how we adjust and adapt to the impositions of the pandemic, to best position ourselves for success, despite those obstacles!
3. Enjoy
A friend once informed me that he was resigning from the position he held. It was a high paying job with the usual perks, and a great deal of visibility within the organization – and he did it well.
All that said, he was quitting. When I asked him why, his answer was short and sweet – “I’m not having fun anymore.”
“It was a good lesson then and an even better one today - Never lose sight of the fact that you may be moving on or starting afresh solely because you are stale – you are not having fun. And that is an altogether valid reason for a change – we must enjoy what we are doing in order to achieve fulfillment in career and life but remember that when you start again – have fun! ”
Moving forward, the best leadership skills are going to need to include enjoying, committing, and retiring the past within the new virtual world we lead in. Those of us who adapt and adjust will demonstrate the best leadership skills, and the success that comes with it!
So – turn over that new leaf – start fresh – but always remember to have fun while you are committing to the future and putting the past where it belongs!
Lead well in 2021!