As we approach the New Year, it's a natural time to reflect on the past year and set our intentions for the year ahead. For business leaders, this can be a particularly important time to take a step back and recharge.
Here are some takeaways that business leaders can use as we rest and reflect during the holiday season:
1. Take time for gratitude.
Like millions of working parents around the world, I now have apps reminding me to do nearly everything, including one that instructs me to type just three things I’m grateful for each morning at 6:00 a.m.
Most days, I give thanks for those who bring deep meaning to my life. Others, however, I use those three precious spaces in my app for things like coffee, the workers who harvest the coffee beans, and the fact that I’m blessed to be able to drink my coffee in peace in my own home free from fear of being bombed in a war or being evicted because I own my home in a town I’m fond of with exceptional neighbors.
As business leaders, we can take time to be grateful for our employees, our customers, and our successes over the past year.
2. Reconnect with nature.
Spending time in nature can help us to de-stress and gain a fresh perspective on our lives.
Having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was accustomed to wonderful views on the way to nearly everywhere I would go. A drive to the drugstore would include an amazing view of the San Francisco Bay with the San Mateo Bridge in the near distance with the Bay Bridge discernible further north, while a hike in the Coastal Mountain Range could overwhelm the senses with stunning ocean vistas to the west and views of the bay to the east. For me, those views never became mundane; they were always arresting and reminded me how impermanent I was in relation to the millennia it took to create the natural beauty in the region I was blessed to call home.
As business leaders, we can make time to go for walks in nature, hike in the mountains, or simply sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.
3. Put things in perspective.
I get a similar feeling when my family and I are fortunate to spend time at our country home in the Hudson Valley. Our house is modest, but being on the land and taking in the views of the neighboring farms rolled out before the Catskill Mountains in the distance during the day and the brightness of the Milky Way at night give me that same sense of awe I had as a child in the Bay Area, reminding me just how minuscule I am in the incomprehensibly vast expanse of our interstellar universe.
That scale helps me put all matters of my life into perspective. Any challenge that I may have been facing at work recedes to take its proper relative size and space in my psyche. The trees, and even the house, on my property will exist long after I’m gone. The work challenge, however, will be resolved in a relatively short term.
As business leaders, we can use such a perspective to help us stay calm and focused in the face of challenges.
4. Set intentions for the New Year.
As we shift our gaze from the year that is past to the year before us brimming with opportunities, I’m finding it helpful to treat this ritual of a new beginning as I begin each new day: with gratitude while I sip a mug of freshly brewed coffee.
This can be a time to reflect on what we want to achieve in the coming year and make plans to make it happen. As business leaders, we can use this time to set strategic goals for our companies and develop plans to achieve them.
5. Find an accountability partner.
I have found it invaluable to connect with someone who can help keep me on track with my goals and help me recalibrate them as life circumstances change and new opportunities arise.
Choose someone you trust, who will listen without judgment and offer constructive feedback. Meet or speak with that person regularly to share your intentions, review progress, and adjust as needed. A good accountability partner can provide motivation, perspective, and insight to help you stay focused and energized to achieve your goals.
The support and guidance of someone beside us—be it a sponsor, mentor, executive coach, or another trusted confidante—along the career journey can help uplift leaders through challenges so we don't lose sight of our vision.
By taking care of yourself during the holiday season, you will be better prepared to hit the ground running in the New Year.