The turn of the year often brings that familiar rush for change – the New Year’s Resolution. These annual moments can be powerful, not as quick fixes, but as opportunities for reflection and renewal. It’s a chance to pause the frantic operational pace and ask the harder, critical questions about what comes next. Perhaps more prosaically, wondering “what on earth am I doing?!”
In my career, which has spanned everything from professional dancer to marketer and, for 17 years, school leadership, I have seen how transformative a clear story can be. When the new year compels us to set intentions, we are essentially trying to write a better, clearer, more intentional life narrative.
Crucially, transformation requires deep listening. As an ILM7 Executive and Leadership Coach, I operate with high levels of social and emotional intelligence, developed over years in headship by making time for people and listening to their concerns. With the focus on establishing environments where people have a sense of purpose and a sense of autonomy to get on with things.
This approach helps leaders transcend mere performance metrics, and instead helps to create cultures built on deeper values. One approach is to concentrate on building on those key psychological pillars of competence, autonomy, and connectedness, which are known to underpin high performance and resilience.
When you feel the urge for renewal this January, honour that feeling. Use it as the motivation to pursue the creative and strategic freedom you crave, whether that change is deliberate or imposed.
Don’t let your resolution be a forgotten promise. Start shaping your most important story today. It doesn’t cost anything to start the conversation. Contact me here.