Leading into a New Year

There are two key moments in every year (except maybe 2020 😊) when the calendar sends people an invitation for a fresh launch. The first is naturally, January 1st. While in the grand scheme of things, it is a 24 hour period like any other day, it is a moment of transition. During the last three months of the year, Halloween rolls into Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving into Christmas. The New Year marks the completion of one season and the beginning of another.

The transition from Summer to Fall is the second. September marks the close of Summer, and for many, the beginning of a new school year.

Schedules shift, and family expectations change, creating the “new normal” for the next 3 quarters of the year.

Given the shifts and markers that these events represent, they both present a great opportunity to breathe fresh vision into a team and an organization.

Over the last several weeks, Block Imaging’s Leadership Team has been discussing opportunities, challenges, and priorities as we head toward the end of 2020. While there’s a tendency to focus on finishing strong and focusing on tasks and objectives, nothing stirs the pot more than asking BIG questions of thoughtful and ambitious leaders.

So this morning, as we prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, that’s just what we did during a 10 person Microsoft Teams video conference.

The first objective is to stir ourselves. To step outside of the urgent and look deep within ourselves to find what’s referred to as “the Holy Discontent.”

Where are the gaps between where we are and where we want to be?

Here are the questions that were posed in this morning’s meeting and will provide great fodder for your next team meeting:

What’s stirring inside as you look toward 2021 for your team?
What’s one thing you’d love to see us approach differently with our customers?
What’s one word or picture you want to be more true of our organization at the end of 2021?
What do you need to do differently and where do you need to grow in the season ahead?

The next 45 minutes were filled with vision and vulnerability. Everything from “I want to see…” to “I’m afraid of…” These statements and everything in between give us a window into the world of the other leaders around us. What excites them, what they’re poised to tackle, and what they’re fearful of. Not only do we offer others the opportunity to unearth answers to the bigger picture questions but we also provide a stage to practice and hone their leadership voice.

So as you enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and prepare to lead through the few short weeks leading up to Christmas and into the New Year, I can’t encourage you enough to put aside the “to-do” list and listen a bit deeper to the stirrings underneath. This is where we find a fresh vision and clarity around what’s to come. And, only out of that place can we invite others in.

Cheers to leaning back and choosing gratitude amidst a most challenging season. And Cheers to being stirred toward who you were born to be in the season ahead!