The Year That Was…

With the holiday season in full swing, we wanted to take a few moments and look back on the year that was before we dive into the year ahead.

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It was around this time last year when my professional world suddenly turned upside down. While no one acted with any ill will or bad intentions, it doesn’t mean there weren’t negative emotions and consequences that were adding complicated layers to this unexpected crisis.

So for me, the last year has been about personally experiencing the journey of turning this crisis into the goodness of…

• Strengthening my resilience and agility to mourn the losses created by my sudden work transition and contend with new realities.
• Reevaluating the mechanics of my career from setting bigger goals to spending less time traveling away from my family, etc.
• Hanging my own shingle and evolving from being a business leader to also being a business owner.
• Upskilling my tradecraft to add digital design and AI competencies to my proverbial tool-belt.

Almost thirteen months later, I’m happy to report that new leaves of eQ, resilience and agility have been turned over, my new career mechanics have been fruitful, the shingle is profitable and my tool-belt is getting heavier by the week.

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I am a firm believer in the fact that personal change happens more consistently when we do the important work of reflecting, with the goal of learning form what has already happened. So, as 2024 comes to a close, here are a few things that I (re) learned during the most recent trip around the sun:

Sometimes leadership is simply about persevering – Of course we all want to hit benchmarks and accomplish big plans. And, yet, there have been too many moments this past year in my life where the task of leading well has simply been to faithfully put one foot in front of the other until the leadership task is complete.

Building organization momentum is hard work – Whether you are launching a small, new initiative, or tackling a huge project, building the vision and team momentum to move your organization or team in a new direction will take a lot of hard, strategic effort. 

Resource your person – The most significant thing you bring to your work is yourself, in all your uniqueness. So, be sure to tend your person – spiritually, mentally, emotionally, relationally, etc. If that means finding additional resources like a spiritual director, therapist, or mentor – do it! 

Finally, I think I have been reminded that barring exceptional situations, the highest ROI that I get in this world is when I invest in my family and the belief/ life we have made together. I learn most of what I know to be certain and true from conversations and learning we have done together.

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Shoutout to those who’ve been on the journey with us this past year! Your perspective, encouragement and wisdom have made a huge difference.

Happy Holidays!