Resolve to Make These Five Resolutions in 2021

Have you made any New Year’s resolutions for 2021?

More people are abandoning the annual practice of making New Year’s resolutions, mainly because so few of us keep them. The making of resolutions, of course, is not the problem. The problem is that we don’t keep the resolutions we make.

Consider what might happen in your life if you made some really good resolutions and kept them the whole year through. You would be happier. You would be more fulfilled. Your family would see you making progress in significant areas of life. Your relationships would be stronger. You would develop a deeper sense of your own integrity. And you would be a whole lot better off this time next year. When you consider all the benefits of making and keeping resolutions, it is worth it, right?

Here are 5 resolutions every leader should consider for 2021:

Pray More. Prayer is an incredible privilege. Think about it, at any given moment, you can close our eyes, enter the inner chamber of your heart and speak with God. He who created everything out of nothing is waiting for you. If prayer is daunting, perhaps the first thing you need to do is ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of prayer. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that we do not know how to pray as we ought are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer.

Work on Your Character as Much as Your Craft. Find a few trusted people and ask them where you have room to grow in your character. They might tell you that you could become more kind or generous or forgiving. They might suggest you could be more disciplined or frugal. They might say you could listen better or be more encouraging. Whatever they say, prayerfully consider 1 or 2 areas to focus on, then develop a simple strategic plan and tracking system to monitor your incremental progress. This is how Benjamin Franklin described his system:

“I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the virtues I was trying to improve. I ruled each page with red ink, so as to have seven columns, one for each day of the week, marking each column with a letter for the day. At the end of each day, I would mark, by little dots, every occurrence of performing a virtuous act and another dot for every time I faulted against that virtue. This allowed me to track my progress.”

Say “No” More Than You Say “Yes.” The vast majority of leaders are over-committed. They live without any margin in their life. They have no time for deep thinking, no time for extended visiting with family and friends,and no time for hobbies or extra reading for pleasure. Christian leaders read the words of Jesus and sigh, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” One of the main reasons for the lack of margin and feeling overburdened is that we take on responsibilities and tasks that Jesus didn’t ask us to. Perhaps the mini-resolution needed here is to continually pause when opportunities and burden emerge and ask, “Jesus, do you want me to taker this on? Is it your will and delight for me? If he says no, you should never say yes.

Value Listening To Others. Leaders are disproportionately compensated for their public speaking skills. The best leaders are great communicators and great listeners. They have discovered that by listening to their staff, they deepen and widen the pool of insight available to them when making leadership decisions. Wider because more people are consulted and deeper because they provide a perspective that goes beyond superficial ideas. Just because you are the leader doesn’t mean you have all the wisdom. In fact, your staff have way more insight and competence in certain areas over you. Drawing from the perspective of others not only makes you a smarter leader, but it also increases commitment to execute because the staff see the decision and direction as their own idea.

Encourage And Affirm More Often. When it comes to believing in themselves, most people are agnostic. Think of it, if you want to make someone blush, pay them a compliment. If you really want to make them squirm, attach a specific example of their greatness and watch them wallow in the warmth of your words. People that feel good about themselves, produce good results. Your greatest privilege is communicating the dignity, worth and potential of your people so clearly that they begin to see it in themselves and act on it. This kind of appreciation doesn’t have to be elaborate, only sincere.

So, there you have it. Five resolutions you can make as a leader. Let me know if you made other resolutions already, you might inspire a change to my own list!