2020 vision: What scares you this year?
Welcome to the new decade!
You’ve probably been focused on this turning point in your strategic planning—and now you’re about to learn whether you’ve achieved that “2020 vision” so many have anticipated for so long.
How’d you do? With your leadership, did your team fully achieve its goals and contribute to the shared vision of the organization? If so, CELEBRATE your team! Make sure you understand how the team pulled it off and whether it’s repeatable. If not, talk with your team about what needs to be different moving forward. No blame.
Either way, start 2020 with some honest reflection. Ask yourself: what scares you this year?
It’s not a strange question to ask your leader-self on the cusp of the new decade. What outcome does your organization need that has never been done before? We’re not talking about a pipedream. We’re talking about a stretch goal (not a strain) that changes the paradigm and will stretch you as a leader.
What scares us also excites us. It gets our brain’s neurons firing, our heart pumping, and lifts and motivates. It means confronting ourselves in uncomfortable ways.
What are you scared to think about, to talk about, because it could reveal an inconvenient truth, an anchor from the past that has been unbreakable, or something hard to face?
1. What goal did you agree to that you don’t believe can be accomplished?
2. What have you been pushing off because you don’t want to deal with it?
3. Where has your ego gotten in the way of serving others?
4. What have you missed because you were too focused on yourself?
5. What are you prepared to do with team members who are not demonstrating organizational values? Are you hanging on to the wrong people?
6. What didn’t you say to senior leadership when you had the opportunity because you feared repercussions?
7. How have your actions or inactions been affecting team morale?
8. Who on your team deserves an opportunity for their performance—even though unspoken rules imply they haven’t “paid their dues” yet?
9. What improvement didn’t you implement because you would have to deal with resistance?
10. What have you been putting off in your own development because you’re not sure you can do it?
11. What conflict are you avoiding?
12. Who do you need to forgive?
2019 is in the bag. 2020 has twelve chapters and 365 pages to write a new future.
Face your fear. Act on something that stretches you, that calls forth your best leadership-self. Something that will pay off in increased performance and better results for your team and your organization.
You can do it!
Sherri McArdle is a wife and mother to adult children and has been a business leader/owner for over 25 years. She is also a Master Certified Coach (MCC) to leaders and executives across the country and a trained mediator.
