Make the Most of 2021: A New Better Year with Your Team!

Everyone is in such a rush to get through 2020 and start 2021, which promises more happiness for all of it! At the very least, the vaccine for Covid-19 allows us to envision lunches with friends at restaurants and the possibility of vacation travel, even if we’re still sticking to short car trips, and visits to relatives. At least it will be different and take us out in the world to explore new places.

Likewise, your team members will appreciate your ideas for leading them to new places and getting out of the stagnant patterns of the past. Here are some ideas for leading a better year for your team:

Plan to signal change at your first meeting of the year

Plan now to make it a little different, so when they come into the Zoom or office, they can see something new right away. You can can use a 2021 New Year’s Hat, banner, or other goofy prop, or message on your white board: 2021, A Way Better Year.

Create sound bite version of your team plan for 2021

“Surpassing Targets, Growth For All, and Having Fun” is an example. And explain how YOU are going to help implement the exciting new plans!

Discuss and brainstorm more details for the 2021

After you relate your sound bite to your company plans and strategies, lead a fun brainstorming session to get more ideas on what they would like to see in 2021, particularly as it relates to your team’s culture.

Remember to welcome and positively reinforce new ideas

Try to use their ideas as much as possible. Get others to build on them and come up with some shared specifics that feel exciting.

Act on at least one of your new plans in this meeting!

Choose one theme, such as “Growth for All” and ask each person to come up with a job action, skill, or knowledge area they’d like to start learning and practicing. If a few are ready to share in the meeting, help them come up with more details. Offer gifts you can give them to help them achieve the growth they aspire to. Ask the others to let you know their answers in a week or two.

Now you have some positives in mind for a new, better, and more exciting way to kick off 2021!

Read The Feedback Imperative for more tips and strategies for leading remotely.