Today marks the official end of the holidays. The decorations are put away, the children are back at school, and we are back at our desks. Diets are started, resolutions are made.
With these new starts comes a desire to set goals for the coming 12 months. I always find it easy to make a list of ideas, and much more difficult to do the hard work of prioritizing within those goals.
With so much that could be done, how do I know what matters most?
Organizations and their leaders have developed all sorts of ways to help us answer that question: most involve spreadsheets and meetings. But answering the question at a personal level can’t be done within Microsoft Excel, or a board room. It has to start at a more fundamental place: the core of who you are, and what motivates you.
>>Download our free tool for identifying your personal values, and clarifying what matters most to you.
The Center for Values-Driven Leadership’s Clarify exercise is a 40-minute tool to help you identify your personal core values, and then connect them to your work and personal life so you can better understand what excites and inspires you, and makes you successful as a leader.
Executives who have a clear understanding of their personal values are better equipped to provide leadership to their company and colleagues, because they know what matters most. By exploring these values, leaders can learn to:
- Identify motivations and set strategies for personal growth and direction
- Understand and deepen relationships
- Find aspects of their work that connect with their core beliefs, and use these to inspire others
- Recognize areas of dissonance or ambivalence, and work to resolve them to increase productivity and satisfaction
- Encourage ethical leadership by aligning behaviors with beliefs
How can you get started?
Set aside 40 minutes for our Clarify exercise. Clear your calendar and find a quiet place. Click the link below for more information, and to download the tools you need to begin the exercise.
Knowing what matters to you makes you a better leader. It helps you set strategy and prioritize the endless tasks on your to-do list. It helps you inspire the success of others and drive your company toward a flourishing future. What more could you ask for in 2016?
Magnifying glass photo credit: CrazyFast via Compfight cc