The year is coming to a close. I know Dec. 31st is an arbitrary time to set new year’s resolutions, but it’s not unusual to seek reflection at this time of the year. Days are getting colder, we’re spending more time turning inwards, and we see the year ahead as full of potential. A chance to start over.
But before we start setting leadership development goals or personal development goals – we have to make time to think through what we’ve been through in the past 12 months. Most career women don’t get as much feedback as they’d hope for from their supervisors (ahem…one performance review a year isn’t enough!) – so I want to encourage you to give yourself the greatest gift: an honest assessment of your growth and challenges in the previous year. In fact, I’d encourage you to add a Google cal reminder to do this process at least once a quarter in 2021!
First – click the button below to grab your free copy of my Leadership Growth Scorecard!
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Make a list of wins from this year or this quarter by answering:
What evidence do I have that I’m grown this year? What made me better at my work?
Quick note: I guarantee you that as much of a dumpster fire 2020 felt like for you – if you’re here, you had some wins. A win for career women isn’t just about getting a pay raise or a title change.
A serious win can come disguised as:
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A breakthrough realization about how you show up in the world
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A shifting of priorities or clarity about your personal values
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Critical feedback that helps you do better
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“Laziness” – which is really just tending to your personal needs in an extraordinary year
2. Rate yourself on key leadership qualities from 1-5. 1 would mean you don’t feel like you’ve demonstrated that quality at all in the past year/quarter, and 5 would mean you feel like you’ve been a great example in this quality. Feel free to add any qualities you value in a leader to this list!
3. Choose three of these traits to prioritize in the next quarter/year, and indicate your choice with a star in the P column.
4. Compare your scorecard to your last one and use an up or down arrow in the final column to show you how you’re growing in each category. Have you improved? Or are you seeing yourself regressing a bit?
Now that you have an honest assessment of which leadership qualities you’re embodying and which traits you’ll prioritize next, you can set goals in alignment with what you value.
Remember – setting career goals is really about setting life goals. It’s clarifying what you want to be known for, what you’d like to achieve, and the lifestyle you want to create for yourself. We do spend 40+ hours a week at work, so aligning your career with your values and goals is an easy first step to improving your life overall!
If you’re feeling stuck about turning your growth opportunities into motivating goals, I’d love to help!
Click here to learn more about how I support women in creating life & career wins – and apply for a free call.
My name is Laura Weldy, and I’m a women’s leadership coach. I help women in the workplace become confident leaders by tackling their mindset head on so they can think like a leader before they have the job title. I do this through professional coaching, virtual coaching, small group masterminds and powerful courses. If you’re looking to become more successful and fulfilled at work, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
