My New Three Words

Last year I introduced you to a "sort of" resolution process for the New Year involving three words (thank you again, Chris Brogan, www.chrisbrogan.com). These are words to reflect on and help answer whether what you are doing now is moving you in the right direction. Here are the three words I am using for 2012:

 

Serve. One of my roles is to be a leader. This can involve many activities, but the one activity I want to focus on is serving those I lead and work with. That is, I need to be sure that I am doing all that I can to enable my clients and team to succeed. I need to find out what they need, help their engagement grow, help when asked, provide resources, and get out of the way. To put it in servant leadership terms, as a leader, I have to serve first.

 

Relentless. I need to get better. In order to do this, I need to be able to reflect on what I am doing and look forward to ways that will improve my outcomes. Using this knowledge, I need to be relentless in pursuing those activities that make my clients, my team, my workplace, my family, and me better. This is more than getting things done. This is being relentless in getting the right things done.

 

Connect. Creating connections will help foster new ideas and give people resources to help them as needed. I will work to create more connections this year between my coworkers and my clients (and everything in between). This is my carryover word from last year and one I want to continue.

 

As I go through the year, I plan to pause and use these words to help guide the things I am doing. I keep these words written on a Post-it^® note on my bulletin board where I have to see them every day. When I'm stuck and in decision mode, I can look at the words, reflect on what I am doing, and ask myself how what I am doing fits. That's more than a resolution or a goal.  It's a process to help me make sure I achieve the really important things.