No one achieves mastery in one sitting. Thus, anyone who aspires to be an expert on any field should be willing to put in time and effort to grow knowledge and enhance skills. If your goal is to be a great leader, you should always be seeking to improve the way you guide a team. Even if you start out as inexperienced and clueless, you will eventually get better if you are constantly doing something to gain extensive knowledge about something. So if you want to sharpen your leadership skills all-year round, here are some suggestions of things to do for each month of 2021:
January- February
Identify your goals and visions.
Unclear visions and goals – these are some of the most common culprits why plans fail to prosper. So take a big step towards your targets and start the year in the right direction by pondering on the things you want to achieve with your team. You may also motivate the whole team by reflecting and stating the purpose of your group.
March
Have an open-forum.
Management will be a breeze in a team with no conflicts or issues between its members. One way to maintain a harmonious working relationship is by giving everyone a chance to voice out their concerns. This activity also lets your team know that you care about the team and are willing to listen to them.
April
Host a teambuilding activity.
To give your team a break from their day-to-day tasks and to further strengthen your bond with them, a teambuilding activity is a good idea. With the current pandemic that limits outside activities, you can have a virtual teambuilding or choose Covid-19 friendly team activities.
May –June
Seek out ideas/suggestions from the team.
This is a cool activity to gather new ideas that can propel your team’s growth and at the same time inspire your employees to contribute. You can make it more fun by offering a reward to those who will come up with the most number of suggestions or best ideas.
July – August
Seek new knowledge.
The best leaders are hungry for knowledge so update your skills with the latest trends by enrolling in a new course. Aside from attending a workshop/training, you can also seek advice from a mentor or a leader you admire.
September – October
Read a leadership book.
It has been reported that many of the most notable leaders of our time such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are voracious readers. So to be a better leader and be in good company, you may want to choose a leadership book to read this month.
November
Send a gratitude message.
You may want to choose this month to remind your team how grateful you are about all their hard work. This simple reminder can be an effective morale booster. You can also give incentives to deserving team members.
December
Reward yourself with a much-needed break.
It would be difficult, if not impossible to take care of your team if you do not take care of yourself first. So allot some time to unwind and you will likely come back with renewed energy and inspiration.
Like any other skills, leadership can be a trial and error process. Yet all the lessons from the experience can sharpen your skills that will eventually turn you to be the leader you aspire to become.
