Set your focus is the first step in the Commit to Action stage of the roadmap.
The AIM Leadership Roadmap helps leaders who have a new mandate, new team, or who need new ideas to lead with confidence, accelerate impact, and deliver results in their leadership role. In this article series, I’ll break down the steps you can take to inspire growth in your people and your organization and build your leadership legacy. Want all the info in one place right now? Jump to The Definitive Guide to Leading in a New Role.
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Today’s topic is Set your focus – step 1 in the AIM Leadership Roadmap.
Set your focus is the first step in the Commit to Action stage of the roadmap – with a spotlight on you as a leader going from overloaded with too many things to do to creating clarity and confidence to do what’s next.
Set your focus is about using your time and energy in the right places and going from being reactive to choosing what to focus on.
When starting a new leadership role or mandate it helps to take a moment and think about where you want to focus.
Here are three actions to achieve this.
- Know your why – ask yourself, why this role, why now, and why you? Think about what compelled you to accept this role, and why now is the right time to do it. Then also think about why you – this is a great way to build your confidence to do great things in the role. You were chosen for a reason – why? What do you bring that is unique and adds value to the situation? It’s important that you know and own the things you are great at and that you get to use those strengths on a regular basis. Using your strengths regularly is a key to job satisfaction and engagement. Download your free Situation Assessment Interview Guide and use the 'Your Role and Expectations Questions' to get started.
- Choose your leadership approach – Identify your values and beliefs: as you set your focus it's important to understand what you stand for and what drives you. I find a good way to uncover my core values is to reflect on what triggers a strong negative reaction in me. For example, one of my values is ‘don’t question my integrity’ – when someone does question my integrity, I’m negatively triggered with a strong visceral reaction. I know I can’t work in a place that will continually question or challenge my integrity. Think about what your core values are. And how your new role aligns to those values. How will your values and your approach to leadership serve your role and the team you are leading? Setting your focus is a chance for self reflection around not only your values but also your strengths and your blind spots.
- Create your Goals – these aren’t the business goals yet. These are your personal goals, things like – who do you want to meet in your first 90 days? How do you want to show up? How do you want to feel in the role in three months? What impact do you want to have on the team in the short term? The first 90 days in a new role can be a roller coaster and it will take time to have the full impact that you desire, so start with some short term, personal goals.
Lots of self reflection! But worth it to help you go from being reactive to making choices. In the next article I'll discuss how to Assess your Situation to go from unknown to in-the-know.
The Confident Leader Kickstart Coaching Program
Do you want a sounding board and support as your start a new, exciting leadership role? Find out more about my Confident Leader Kickstart Coaching Program. Whether you're a new leader or a seasoned leader with a new mandate, working together will help you go from being new and nervous to calm and confident, and achieve the following outcomes:
- Build Trust – develop trust and credibility with your new colleagues
- Establish Expectations – know their expectations and communicate yours
- Deliver the Right Results – choose the right priorities
- Lead with Confidence – to inspire growth in your people and organization
Connect with me today – jen@actionimpactmovement.com or book an intro call.