Busy, busy, busy, everyone is always very busy! Sometimes it seems that December is the busiest month of them all. Then we enter January, and many people start with all kinds of good intentions. The so-called “New Year’s resolutions”. By the time we enter February, most of them are already gone. We had good intentions, but daily life took over and we lost focus.
There are some exceptions. People with a strong self-discipline often are very serious about their intentions. They know why they chose their New Year’s resolutions and are able to stick to them. Also, people who team up with a partner for accountability and guidance stick to their resolutions. Both categories are able to bring new intentions to succeed.
New Year’s resolutions can most often be divided in two categories: to start doing things and to stop doing things. For development in your leadership and career, the same rule applies: There are things you need to start doing and there are things you need to stop doing. Additionally, to increase your professional effectiveness, you also need to continue doing certain things, because it is effective and you are good at it.
Within the Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching methodology we use the “Start – Stop – Continue Doing” exercise based on a few basic leading questions:
- What should you continue doing because it is effective and you are good at it?
- What should you change or stop doing because it is not effective or maybe even counterproductive?
- What should you start doing that would make you more effective in your job and working with others?
When you are winding down for Christmas and preparing for the New Year, think about these questions and your development: What are you going to do in 2019 to propel your career, your leadership, your alliance, your partnership, or/and your business to the next level?
Then, think about in which of these three categories of people you fit in: 1) will daily life take over, 2) are you a strongly disciplined go-getter, or 3) are you the wise one who will work with a partner for accountability and guidance? In that case, be even wiser and start the New Year now already: schedule a virtual coffee with me to discuss how working with me as your coach can make 2019 an excellent year for you. You won’t regret it!
To your success! 🥂