[January 23, 2019] This past weekend I was at a Boy Scout “Klondike” event. The idea of Klondike is to demonstrate teamwork and test scouting skills. While sitting around the campfire with other adult scout leaders, we discussed the upcoming year and what we could do differently or do better as leaders. My leader resolutions for 2019 are based, in part, on that campfire discussion.
You can read a lot about “resolutions” just by searching the Internet. They are actually first rate, if not without imagination (see links here and here for a couple of good ones I liked). Built into them are several themes that I have emphasized in this leadership blog over the past five years. This year, however, I’ll put a different twist on those resolutions.
Here are ten Leader Resolutions for 2019 that can help those who hold leadership positions:
- Train other leaders: Take the time to actually plan and conduct leadership development training for others. Even the most junior leader, adult or young teenager, can do this.
- Replace bad habits: To convince others that they make improvements in their lives is difficult but once you identify what can change, the next step is to replace an old, bad habit for a new, good habit.
- Never give up: You don’t have to be the strongest, the smartest, or the most handsome. The secret to winning is to never give up.
- Attend chapel services: Yep, that’s right. Regardless of your religious beliefs, there is an advantage to attending religious services; educationally, emotionally, and socially.
- List your top three priorities and work toward them: If you really want to succeed, then you must also know where you are going. What is it that you want? List them. The path to achieving them should be clearer.
- Speak precisely: Avoid confusion in what you say. Listen, think, and speak in that order.
- Act ethically: Nothing is more challenging than to go against the crowd and popular opinion. But doing the right thing will always is what a leader does; it’s in their character.
- Show respect: Don’t just have respect for others but show it too. That means you must know how to ‘show’ respect and do it with a smile.
- Read more: Never stop the effort to learn more. Do this by reading.
- Let others make mistakes: This is how people learn. They must make mistakes, learn from them, suffer a little, and then move on. It is our duty to help them through it.
My resolutions have varied over the years and some years I haven’t published any. You can access past ones here: 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 (I skipped 2018). Can you find which one I list every year? Yeah, it’s number 5.
Have a great leader year in 2019.
I liked this.
“How to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions in 2019”
7:14 minute video: https://www.entrepreneur.com/video/326268
Here are a few of my 2019 resolutions: eat healthier, find a new good habit or skill, exercise more, read more books, save my money, and get organized. Sound familiar? That’s because these are the most common resolutions made and the most common broken as well. My promise to myself is to at least make progress in all. I know failure sometimes happens but I won’t let that discourage me to restart if I fall back a little.
Good point Eddie. If we have the idea that progress is often made one step at a time, then we will less impatient and more successful.
I make progress on these exact same resolutions. The fact that I backtrack and make little progress is not an excuse. I keep forging ahead.
How about exercise more, eat better, sleep 7 hours, talk less, listen more, and do good things for others? This works for me.
The short life cycle of New Year’s resolutions is pretty common. According to one statistic, 80% of people give up on their resolutions in the first six weeks. Why?
Enterprise Leadership: Five Big Resolutions for 2019 by Kevin Cashman (contributor to Forbes’ Leadership Strategy series) https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevincashman/2019/01/15/enterprise-leadership-five-big-resolutions-for-2019/#46c850d6acb5
Here’s a few of mine:
1. Go on more adventures.
2. It’s never too late to reinvent yourself.
3. Start now.
4. Don’t be afraid to fail.
5. Rise above the little things.
6. Many people will tell you that you can’t do something. Prove them wrong.
7. Do your very best.
8. Never give up (I stole this one from Gen. Satterfield).
9. Get out of your comfort zone.
10. Be prepared (from the Boy Scouts).
Another good list. The main thing is to establish a goal and move toward it. Focus youself, get your house in order (figuratively), and be bold.
“The Entrepreneur Manifesto For 2019: Forget The Resolutions” Hahahahha. Different twist. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/326509
“Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self-assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and, ultimately, reinforces humility. Breaking them is part of the cycle.” – Eric Zorn
Thanks Wilson. Good article.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Another year, another list. This time, however, we have a pragmatic list that helps not just the leader but everyone else. Take the time, everyone, to browse the Internet web and look at how others have laid out their resolutions. Note! There is a persistent theme across them all. It’s about self-improvement. Note! Gen. Satterfield’s theme is about improvement of others. That’s what leaders do and that is why taking care of others is so important. https://www.theleadermaker.com/5536-2/
We can learn about how to be better as long as it involves people. Thanks Gen Satterfield for telling us about your BoyScout leadership campfire. I’m sure your wife made you change clothes before coming inside. Campfire smoke clings to everything.
As always, I enjoy reading General Satterfield’s leadership blog. They are quick to read and all are educational (including the guest bloggers which he has on occasionally). It would do us all a benefit if we used the info to help others.
The key word here is “if”. But that is what leaders do.
I love your list. These 10 are not just for leaders but for anyone who has the guts to improve themselves. Only after I spent a night in jail for doing something stupid (drunk driving) did I realize that my path was one of destructive behavior. Yes, it was when I was 21 years old and when I thought I was the best game going for all handsome men. Little did I realize that they stopped wanting to be around a reckless, crazy person. So I changed.
Thanks Anita for your story and telling us about the point at which you decided to make a crucial change in your life. Yes, it can be done.
It was an awakening! I understand because my ‘awakening’ was when my best friend was killed in a drunk driving accident.
Thank you Anita.
Number 5! I remember the first time you published your New Year’s Resolutions back in 2014. I’m a long-time reader of your blog and I rarely miss an article.
Same here.
Yes, I’m one of the originals.
Hooah! I agree, a great list of new year’s resolutions. Matters not if you are an adult, child, or your position. You can learn from this list.
Great list. Thanks for changing them up and providing a ‘useful’ list each year.
Yes, great blog post today.
🙂 Yes, I posted it on my refrig!
Learn Something New: To learn French, or can be the clarinet, how to cook for gals which would be something other than microwavable Stouffer’s lasagna. As we all are aware of the limitless sky, and in this whole world, there are uncountable things yet to be discovered that would be the best ever resolution you can take this new year, not because I’m not taking but because I will be the same list soon so pull your socks up.