Today, I say goodbye to my first half a century and enter my 51st year.

July 1st the 182nd day of the year, the last day of the first half of the year, and for my Canadian family, friends and colleagues ‘Canada Day’.

My 50th year was FANTASTIC both professionally and personally! I was so happy to hit the big ‘five-ohhhhhh,’ begin my next decade, and that attitude has served me well. There was a period in my 40’s where I felt as though I had plateaued, lost purpose in what I was doing, and completely burnt out from 50+ hour work weeks. I could do one of two things, stay that way or change. My choice was an easy one; I love being focused, motivated, passionate about what I am doing, and helping others, so my consultancy was born.

Professionally like you, I have had some absolute high points in my career and extreme lows. I have worked beside and led brilliant, engaged, and motivated teams, and on the flip-side worked in toxic environments with ego-centric, vindictive, and narcissistic personalities. I have been loved by staff and colleagues and disliked. I have made great hiring decisions and not so good ones. I have been a motivating and inspirational leader; and, for many years, was a real hard-arse, pushing continuously to meet goals and exceed targets. Leadership is hard and by no means a bed of roses, it requires stamina, grit, curiosity and a continuous passion for evolving, learning, growing, and adapting to be the best leader you can be.

So, from me to you on my birthday, I share recommendations for your consideration in your leadership journey. The best practices I have adopted over my career may seem common sense; however, I assure you many have been genuinely learned from tough lessons, combined with input from some great mentors and peers along the way.

1. ‘Embrace the suck’ hard to do, but best to work and grow through it.
2. Acknowledge and thank often and publicly.
3. Act on ideas, don’t wait for the perfect time.
4. Address issues and conflict as they arise.
5. Align your strategy always with systems and KPI’s.
6. Always be curious and think outside the box. Be on the lookout for opportunities and innovation.
7. Always be improving your skill set, learning, and growing.
8. Always be thinking of what the ‘next best step’ will be.
9. Anticipate challenges and threats before they become a reality.
10. Apologize when you are wrong.
11. Balance work and personal time. Work hard and play just as hard.
12. Be an exceptional listener. Fewer words often mean more.
13. Be confident in your strengths.
14. Be highly accountable.
15. Be self-aware as who we are is how we lead.
16. Build your transition competence.
17. Continuously develop your work culture.
18. Courageously fail, get back up, and try again. Don’t fear failure.
19. Create your morning, workday, end of the day, and evening rituals.
20. Cultivate professional relationships; with staff, peers laterally, and at higher levels.
21. Declutter physical and electronic mess, simplify, and de-stress.
22. Define expectations and be transparent on the best way to work together.
23. Define your own personal and professional vision. They work side-by-side, you are the driver of your future.
24. Develop an annual and quarterly game plan to work on your goals.
25. Don’t let it get personal. Be objective.
26. Encourage collaboration to use the ‘yes, and..’ method enthusiastically to build on ideas.
27. Excel in receiving and giving feedback.
28. Focus on your priorities don’t get distracted.
29. Get out of the office when working on annual and quarterly plans.
30. If something is not working, stop it! It is better to adjust continually than go down a path that you know will not work.
31. Intentionally have a positive attitude. Know and understand your triggers and how you can shift them throughout the day.
32. Keep good records.
33. Know and stand firm by your personal and professional values.
34. Know the ethics of your sector and adhere to them.
35. Know the legalities around your business.
36. Lean into change.
37. Leverage technology and automate processes where possible.
38. Make time to celebrate your wins and reward yourself.
39. Mentor and develop others – give back. Be generous.
40. Participate in a peer advisory (also referred to as a mastermind group) to help you excel.
41. Reverse engineer, and commit to professional and personal goals.
42. Schedule recovery time (exercise, sleep, diet focus, social connection…) daily to ensure you remain rejuvenated.
43. Schedule time daily to work uninterrupted on goals that you need to push forward. No calls, email, interruptions of any kind during this time.
44. Secure early wins to keep motivation high.
45. Set and protect your boundaries
46. Slow down and make better decisions. Work on what is important. Use the 80/20 rule daily, focus on the top 20% of items that will bring you the biggest return.
47. Smile often, laugh out loud – basically don’t take yourself so seriously.
48. Stay true to your word. Walk your talk and be your true authentic self.
49. Think ‘we’ rather than ‘I.’
50. Think before you comment. What you say off the cuff, can be interpreted and perceived with a very different intention.

I will be expanding on these recommendations in a mid-monthly email. If you are interested in learning more and receiving exercises on these 50 tips to help you improve your leadership skills, please email me at jenny@jennyreilly.com. Don’t worry I will not spam, nor share your email address with others and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Happy July 1st, and Happy Birthday to me!

Jenny Reilly