Every fall there is a sense of excitement with children going back to school and the weather morphing into a cooler season in many parts of the world. There is a feeling of hopefulness and possibility as we look to the new year upon us. By saying goodbye to the lazy days of summer (for some of us) and welcoming in a new set of goals and potential opportunities we prepare for a change of focus in our leadership journeys.
Are you ready to take on September with drive and purpose?
Are you eager to empower others around you to spark a renewal?
Leading yourself through this transition can be invigorating and a bit daunting if we don’t manage it carefully. Here are some questions that can get your September rolling:
WHAT BRINGS A SMILE TO MY FACE?
As a child, I remember how important it was to have a new outfit for the first day of school. I smile just thinking about the excitement it brought to the new school year. I can even conjure up the particular clothes and how I felt in them walking through the doors on my first day. What about you? Can you think of a project or an interaction you had in your current or past positions that makes you smile? What brought you joy from that experience? How can you transfer that excitement to your work today?
[Tweet “When we lead with a smile, we attract others to join us.”]
WHO DO I WANT TO MEET THIS YEAR?
Whether face-to-face, on the phone or in a hangout, is there someone you want to connect with more deeply? Through our professional worlds we interact with many interesting people who we wonder what they are really like to talk to. I know I love taking online connections offline. It’s fascinating and very fulfilling. Do it now! Make that call.
WHAT NEW TOPIC DO I WANT TO EXPLORE?
Just as the beginning of the school year involves new subjects and teachers, leadership is also about continual learning. In one of my workshops a manager decided she wanted to learn a new system at work that she has been so curious about. She put together a goal for herself and steps on how she was going to add it to her toolkit. Whatever the subject, commit to discovering how you can learn more about it. September is a perfect time to begin that process.
WHAT DO I WANT TO LEAVE BEHIND?
Although it may be difficult to move on from certain tasks or responsibilities that we have been participating in for a while, sometimes we just need to make a separation. To take on new opportunities we may need to say goodbye to others. We only have 168 hours in a week and we need to sleep too! Ask yourself what seems to be weighing you down? It may be time consuming and not bringing us growth or align with where we want to be focusing.
[Tweet “Sometimes we need to leave things back to lead forward.”]
When we ask others on our teams or those we collaborate with these questions, we can help empower them to have a September lift-off too.
How will you lead this September to make it a new beginning? What other questions should we ask to launch a new year?
Terri, Fall is my favorite time of year. It’s funny, even though it’s a precursor to winter, I too always look at it as a time of fresh new beginnings. Plus, I think you just gave me permission to go a buy a new outfit. Awesome.
I feel the same way about Winter yet I hold onto the Fall to plan my new year and my direction before the cold sets in.
We really need to start off with a bang in September to energize our teams and the people around us!
Thanks Karin! Wishing you a great new Fall outfit!
What do I want to leave behind… powerful! I’m thinking of what’s the right thing for me to let go of so I have the room to embrace something new.
As an American expat in the Southern Hemisphere it’s like my body and head are split up around the globe. It’s in my bones that the Fall is approaching and it’s a time for reenergizing after the summer. Still, here we’re just moving into the summer months! I’m tapping into my Northern Hemisphere energy and bringing it down under 🙂
YOU always bring a smile to my face. Sincerely! The way you invite us to see and experience the world through our own lens using powerful questions is fantastic.
Thanks, Terri!
Thanks Alli for your continual support and coaching!
I never thought about how torn people may be as expats but it makes perfect sense. Even though you are on a different seasonal cycle, choosing different periods to rev things up can be so helpful. Whether it takes place now or in a few months, we need to lead with constant re-evaluation of where we are and where we want to be.
If we keep stacking up new goals without relinquishing some, we could risk burn out or paralysis. Knowing the balance that works for each of us is the key to learning and growing.
Thanks for bringing a smile to my face too, Alli!
I love the way you’ve infused energy and positity into this post, Terri!
It’s a great reminder that we have the choice to see the possibilities in our day…our attitude affects everything! And if we look at each day as a day of uncovering and exploring, there is unlimited potential!
Just the message I needed to hear today!
That says a lot, LaRae, coming from you, one of the most positive and energized leaders I know!
Possibilities bring us hope and hope can lead to discovery and discovery can lead to finding our true calling. Following our talents and knowing our passions is a winning combo.
Thanks LaRae!
Terri – I echo you and Karin and Alli. Fall is a favorite! There is nothing like the crisp cool air mixed with warm sunshine, colorful crunchy leaves, and all of te smells of fall!
Your excitement over school outfits, had me almost smelling the new box of crayons that was a part of my back-to-school excitement.
Your questions are powerful! Im anxious to work through them now instead of waiting untl the end of the year.
~Thank you!
You are so right about those crayons, Chery! I can just smell them now and feel their newness! The smell that really warms me up in Fall is cinnamon and pumpkin.
Empowering questions can often spur us on to new directions and choices that were somewhat dormant in our minds. Thinking about how to make them come alive can refocus us for the rest of the year.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story with us!