How do you continue developing as a leader in the midst of the holiday rush?
You’ve worked hard to develop leadership skills and the results are starting to show. Now the holidays are approaching, and along with wood fires, sugar cookies, and a plethora of pumpkin and apple spiced edibles, you’re encountering rushed deadlines, overbooked calendars, and a flood of emails to your inbox.
But you can keep your leadership development momentum by challenging yourself to accomplish at least one of these four, right-now hacks:
Walk the Floor
It’s that simple. Put on your engaging face and take a stroll around the office. Let your employees know that you’re present, you’re on top of your game, and you notice the work they do. This inspires them to end the year well. It also serves to refresh your mind, refocus your attention on the big picture, and stay connected with your team.
Take Five
It may seem like you don’t have two minutes to spare. But taking five will make the next hour twice as productive. Allow yourself a mini break to switch modes from surviving to excelling. Step back and ask yourself: what am I frustrated with; what am I excited about; what’s one thing I can do today that will make this project better? This trick gives you space to attain growth amidst the holiday madness and enables you to approach the day with priorities in line.
Read a Blog
Stagnicity makes everyone a grump. One way to maintain your growth (and your holiday cheer) is to spend three minutes and read a blog. Just one. Blogs offer a quick way to keep up on leadership trends and easily digest leadership lessons. Following a few favorites can refresh your mindset, outlook, and vision.
Don’t Complain
This sounds obvious, but resisting the temptation to wallow in the negativity can make an enormous difference. Removing complaints from your vocabulary will immediately increase your level of professionalism, keep your mindset positive, and your focus clear. A great side effect is that choosing not to complain can be contagious. Others around you will subconsciously pick up on the cue and the overall level of negativity will decrease.
The best thing about each of these leadership challenges is that you can adopt any of the habits right now. Write the challenge on a Post-it and stick it near your computer or set a daily reminder in your smartphone. Then, do it!
