Find out how you can renew your personal motivation for the new year, and that of your team, with 5 easy-to-achieve leadership promises.

The year has begun and it is full of promise. Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask about your resolutions. We know they are either already in full swing or have been pushed back on the bucket list slightly…

Instead, what I would like to do is encourage you to make some choices – some decisions – about this wonderful new year ahead of us.

There are plenty of books out there which ask you to make a leadership promise every day or every week. Frankly, I don’t know how you are expected to remember them all, let alone act on all of those promises. All I am asking you is to make 5 leadership promises that you will stick to for this year.

So, what is a leadership promise? 

It is a commitment. It’s something about your thoughts or actions your people can believe in and confidently expect from you, day in and day out.

Why are leadership promises important to your team?

Leadership promises form the basis of trust. When you do what you say you will do, your team learn they can rely on you. That you are honest and open. That you care, and you will talk with them. If your team trusts you, they will follow you even during those moments when you have nothing to support your requests other than instinct.

Why are leadership promises important to yourself? 

Choosing your promises isn’t easy but it gives you a surprising amount of clarity around your values and your standards. Leadership promises help define or shape your leadership identity. You’ll know who you are as a leader and what you stand for. This makes you a better leader.

What sort of promises should you make? 

Promises are personal and only you will know what matters to you. But below, I have outlined some examples that will help you understand the difference between each kind of promise so that you can get started.

#1. A promise to yourself for yourself

I promise to:

• stand up for myself
• speak up more often
• treat myself the way I treat others
• invest in my personal development

#2. A promise to your team

I promise to:

• give you what you need to achieve peak performance
• listen to what you have to say
• actively help you grow your career
• be a member of the team, not just leader

#3. A promise on something you want to improve

I promise to:

• push for a properly structured mentor program
• introduce changes to limit our waste products for the benefit of the environment
• spend time together as a team getting to know each other properly

#4. A promise for something that you stand for

I promise to:

• treat you as a person, not just as a worker
• be open and honest with you even if you won’t like what I have to say
• speak up when I see workplace bullying or discrimination.

#5. A promise for humanity

I promise to:

• keep this organisation accountable for its social behaviour
• encourage my organisation and team to contribute to the local community however possible
• do right by my team, our clients and our communities
• deliver on our promises

What are your 5 leadership promises going to be? Don’t keep them to yourself. Share them, be accountable, and make positive things happen for yourself and your team this year.