January is a great month for reflection, planning, and getting re-focused. As a business leader, you're reflecting on your wins and losses in 2022. You're working on your organizational SWOT analysis, setting the foundation for your 2023 business plan. And you are laser-focused on setting goals and objectives for the new year.
In addition, I think there are three key questions that every leader needs to ask themselves at the beginning of every year. I didn’t invent these questions. They come instead from a great TED Talk done several years ago by Roselinde Torrers. A senior consultant with an international consulting firm, Torrers has studied great leaders for over 25 years. She found that these amazing leaders asked themselves these three questions regularly.
How will you answer these same questions today?
#1. Where are you looking to anticipate change?
The world we live in and the business environment we lead in have never seen the speed of change we see today. Pre-covid, the idea of your employees working remotely seemed unlikely. Covid struck in March 2020 and now two-thirds of all workers are doing their jobs from home. What an amazing change happening so quickly!
Is it possible that we can anticipate these types of changes to our business and our lives? I believe it is if we are proactive in our approach to looking for new business trends, societal changes, and shifts in politics. I attempt to achieve this in several ways:
- I belong to five different mastermind groups that meet regularly.
- I read a daily newspaper six days a week and two on Sundays. I also subscribe to dozens of magazines, blogs, and podcasts each month.
- I read at least two non-fiction books a month.
- Most importantly, I remain curious year-round. I “wonder”.
