Summary: So you’ve looked at all the things that went well this year and now you’re looking ahead, right? If not, it’s time to celebrate, reevaluate and move forward. Your fiscal year may not end in December, but the calendar year is about to and like it or not everyone will act as if it’s a fresh start. How will you make the most of that fresh start and be prepared to lead, build and boost the performance of the team in 2013? Here are in fact, 13 ways to do just that: Be Sure to Lead You You have to be able to be you and lead you before you can be really good at leading others. What do you know you need to work on to be a better you? Who will you ask for help to make sure it gets done? Examine Your Auto Pilot Leadership delivered by habit as if every person is the same and needs the same thing, will soon spell disaster. Look at the areas that you do without thinking and well… start thinking about how to do them even more effectively. Take Inventory Some of our corporate clients to this exceptionally well. They look at who’s on the team, who fits and who might not and then make moves at the end of the year to be prepared. Inventory team members, skill gaps, resource needs and the like and get what you need for the coming year taken care of now. Unify the Team For most, the team at work is a second family. If they’re not gelling, no one’s feeling the love or getting much done, so bring them together and build that team into a unified super performing machine. Recognize the Good Everyone likes to have what they’ve done well pointed out in some way. Share private accolades with those who don’t need a show and strike up the band for the more public types. Tell ‘em all how well they’ve done. Consider the Consequences Human beings will do whatever is easiest if they have no rewards and no compelling consequences. If the team is running amuck, build in things they don’t want that will happen if that behavior or those numbers continue. Assess the Skills If your year slows down at the end, this is a perfect time to build skills. Maybe you’ve always wanted two teams to cross train or wanted Suzie to learn how to do more accounting. Assess yours and their needs and get them addressed. Close the Gaps If you’re delivering performance appraisals at year end, you’re shedding light on all the skill gaps that may have gone unaddressed until now. Give them the training they need to close the gap and build more confidence. Determine Job Fit Maybe it isn’t skills or gaps, but just a bad job fit. If Bob just can’t do that job, but has great value elsewhere, make the move and create a fit. Measure Improvement Look at where you were then and where you are now and measure how far you and they have come. For more in depth measurement, the CORE profile measures behavior and training impact and value. Want them to improve, measure how far they’ve come and give them something clear to shoot for in the future. Delegate Development Contrary to popular belief, delegation isn’t about them doing what you don’t like. It’s really the art of giving someone the skills they didn’t already have. We call that development. What skills can you help them develop that will improve performance for the whole team next year? Be Consistently Confident No matter how many of these steps you implement, remember some will work, others won’t. That applies to these steps and your team members because every situation is different. Succeed or fail, leadership will have good times and bad, great days and those that you’d like to give back. Be confident that you’ll learn what you need and that your role is not to be the favorite one on the playground, but to lead the team from the proverbial playground to success. Stay on Top of It Leadership isn’t a one hit wonder and if you keep up with their needs and yours with little steps each day, you won’t feel so quickly overwhelmed. Now if you put development off and just do it once in a while,
