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Setting the Tone for Success in 2024

Goal Setting and Planning:

If you have not already communicated your goals for 2024 to your team, it is time to do so. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of setting clear, measurable, and achievable goals for yourself, the team and individual employees. As important as it is to have professional goals, your personal goals should hold equal weight. I do this exercise annually and revisit the goals quarterly to check in on progress made and determine if a pivot needs to be made.

Key Takeaway: Regularly revisit and adapt goals to align with your evolving priorities and aspirations.

Building Resilience:

Resilience is a crucial leadership trait in our current political and economic climate. Consider sharing strategies for building resilience in the face of challenges, such as promoting a growth mindset, fostering open communication, and providing resources for managing stress within your team. Highlight the importance of empathy in supporting employees’ well-being during uncertain times.

Key Takeaway: Promote a resilient mindset by encouraging your team to view challenges as opportunities for growth.

Remote Team Management:

Roughly 50% of my clients are remote workers globally, and with remote and hybrid work becoming the norm for many, providing specific tools and techniques for leaders to motivate and engage their remote teams is top of mind. A focus on maintaining team cohesion, leveraging technology for seamless communication, and fostering a positive remote work culture is required to lead a successful remote team.

Practical Action: Implement practices that enhance team connection and well-being in the virtual work environment.

Professional Development:

Prioritize the professional development of your teams in 2024. Share resources and strategies for providing ongoing learning opportunities, coaching and mentorship. Consider incorporating insights, identifying individual development needs, and creating personalized development plans to help employees grow and thrive.

 

Reach out today to learn more about how Jenny Reilly Consulting can help you with your 2024 goals. You can book a complimentary 30-minute  consultation.  Or, please email askme@jennyreilly.com to coordinate a convenient consultation time.

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Forging Ahead: Reflecting on 2023, Embracing 2024

Let’s start by reviewing our past year’s wins and challenges.

PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

  • What three things have you done well professionally and personally this year?

CHALLENGES AND LEARNINGS

  • Reflecting on the year, what areas or approaches did not work for you in 2023?

PROGRESS ON GOALS

  • If you set specific goals for the year, how would you describe your progress toward achieving them?

TIME MANAGEMENT AND PRIORITIES

  • In 2023, what activities or habits consumed most of your time and didn’t contribute significantly to your overall productivity?

PERSONAL ENJOYMENT

  • What activities or aspects of your work bring you the most joy and fulfillment?

SKILL DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR 2024

  • Regarding professional growth, what are two specific skill areas you would like to focus on developing in the coming year?

Refining Your Path to Success: A Four-Step Blueprint for Defining Your Key Areas of Focus in 2024

Step 1: Equip Yourself

  • Start by arming yourself with a pad of sticky notes.
  • Find a quiet place to be free of disruptions and ensure you have a clean, organized surface area to work on.

Step 2: Set Time for Thoughtful Reflection

  • Set aside a dedicated 20-minute timeframe for contemplation, allowing your mind to explore professional and personal aspirations for 2024.
  • Capture each idea on a separate sticky note, placing them visibly in front of you.
  • Generate a comprehensive list of ideas in the 20-minute timeframe.

Step 3: Transform Thoughts into Areas of Focus

  • The next step is to organize your ideas into thematic categories or focused buckets.
  • Once identified, prioritize these buckets based on their significance. Consider the potential impact on both your professional and personal spheres, adhering to the 80/20 rule – focus on the top 20% of activities yielding the most significant returns.

Step 4: Curate Your Top Priorities and Formulate SMARTER Goals

  • Shortlist your priorities to your top 7-10, transforming them into well-defined professional and personal goals.
  • Ensure your goals are S.M.A.R.T.E.R – specific, measurable, actionable, risky, time-keyed, exciting, and relevant.
  • For each defined goal, identify the first three actions you will take and block off time in your schedule to action your tasks.
  • This strategic approach sets the stage for a purposeful and successful 2024.

JRC December 2023 Newsletter - Jenny Reilly Consulting - Executive Coach

JRC December 2023 Newsletter - Jenny Reilly Consulting - Executive Coach

Reach out today to learn more about how Jenny Reilly Consulting can support you in strengthening your negotiation skills. You can book a complimentary 30-minute  consultation.  Or, please email  askme@jennyreilly.com to coordinate a convenient consultation time.

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Sustained Momentum In Your Leadership Role

Passing the mid-year mark can often leave leaders feeling fatigued and needing revitalization.  By investing in your personal growth and well-being, you can continue to excel as a leader and inspire those around you. Here are some effective strategies to re-energize yourself and maintain a high level of momentum in your leadership role:

Strategies To Sustain Momentum In Your Leadership Role

1. Reflect on Successes: Take a moment to celebrate achievements and milestones reached since January. Recognizing your accomplishments will boost morale and provide motivation for the months ahead.

2. Review your Goals: Reassess your objectives for the rest of the year. Break them down into smaller, achievable milestones, and track progress regularly. Having clear goals will keep you focused and driven.

3. Take time Off: If you have not already, plan a vacation or staycation to recharge and disconnect from work. Time away from the office can help you return with renewed energy and a fresh perspective.

4. Develop New Skills: Identify areas where you’d like to grow professionally and seek opportunities to develop those skills. Learning and personal growth can reignite your passion for your role.

5. Foster a Positive Work Culture: Coordinate a fun activity with your colleagues. Cultivate a positive and supportive work environment for yourself and your team. Encourage open communication, collaboration, and a healthy work-life balance.

6. Practice Self-Care: Make self-care a priority. Engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation, such as exercise, meditation, hobbies, or spending quality time with loved ones.

7. Connect with Others: Network and engage with industry or leadership community peers. Sharing experiences and ideas can invigorate your enthusiasm for your role.

8. Seek Inspiration: Read books, listen to podcasts, or attend seminars by inspirational leaders. Their stories and insights can motivate you to overcome challenges and strive for greatness.

Remember that maintaining momentum is an ongoing process, and finding a balance between pushing yourself and taking care of your well-being is essential.

If you have any questions about these strategies for sustained momentum or want to learn more about the powerful benefits of executive coaching to elevate your leadership success, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com and book a complimentary 30-minute strategy session.  If you want monthly leadership tips, sign up for my JRC newsletter.

 

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How to Deliver Your Key Message in Under 3 Minutes

As leaders, effective communication is paramount, and this month, I invite you to take on a challenge: deliver your key message in under three minutes.

Our various devices train us to cut through the noise, and our patience and attention span have become shorter. As a rule, try to get your core message across in any forum you work in three minutes or less. If you can do this, you will captivate your audience (internal or external stakeholders, clients, colleagues etc.), they will want to know more, and you will leave a lasting impact.

Craft and structure your core message with a hook, then explain the impact and value to the audience. Your objective should be to provide a compelling ‘aha’ moment and a clear path to fruition.

Embrace your nervous energy and let it sharpen your focus. Tailor your message to resonate and be audience-centric for a more significant impact, and then prepare and practice. Understand that you will have to remain adaptable during your presentation to meet the needs of your audience and be ready to pivot to address identified interests and concerns effectively.

When we present authentically, our personality and style are evident. By being authentic, you will build credibility and trust with your audience. When knowing your content, you don’t need a script. You can speak from a well-prepared outline which will help you overcome the temptation to read word for word and enable you to maintain a natural flow while highlighting key points effectively.

There is real power in your non-verbal communication and body language. Your body language needs to enhance your message, not detract from it. Practice mastering your non-verbal cues so you can see the influence of your body language on what you are saying.

When you are working out what to say in the first three minutes, think of these questions to help guide the points you want to get across:

  1. What is it you want to say and why?
    This will help you conceptualize what it is you are getting at.
  2. How does it work, or how will it help? 
    This will help your audience form a process map for utilizing the information you are sharing.
  3. What is the proof or accountability statement?
    Facts, figures, and proof of what you say must be referenced or provided.
  4. How can you help?
    Define how you can be of assistance, help or reference.

Prepare and practice for impactful communication. You can captivate, influence, and inspire your audience in three minutes. Remember, authentic and concise communication leaves a lasting impression. Step up to the challenge, and watch your messages resonate like never before.

 

7 Point Message Delivery Cheat Sheet

  1. Being a little nervous is a good thing. It will give you the adrenaline to be more alert when giving your message.
  2. Intently craft your message for your audience. Who is your audience? What choice of words and level of detail will work best? Answering these two questions will help you organize your key points correctly for a more significant impact.
  3. Focus on the audience. Even with practice, when the time comes to deliver your message, if the audience wants something different, you need to quickly pivot to what they need, or they will lose attention.
  4. Be yourself – authenticity is key. Let your personality shine when you present, giving you credibility and audience trust.
  5. Speak from an outline, not a script. When nervous, we tend to look down at our note sand read word for word. I encourage you to initially prepare by writing out all you want to say and practice your presentation verbally until you feel confident and then condense your presentation notes into an outline of only key points. Again practice, and you will find that speaking from an outline will enable you to be more natural in your presentation.
  6. Use body language. Not only are your words and tone powerful, but also your non-verbal’s. You want to ensure your body language does not detract from your core objectives.
  7. Nothing can replace preparation and practice. Review your outline and practice out aloud (yes, in front of a mirror, or tape yourself on Zoom and rewatch to critique yourself) until you feel confident in your verbal and non-verbal message delivery.

 

If you have any questions about drafting and delivering your key message, or want to learn more about the powerful benefits of executive coaching to elevate your leadership success, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com and book a complimentary 30-minute strategy session.  If you want monthly leadership tips, sign up for my JRC newsletter.

 

Jenny Reilly Consulting, Vancouver Executive Coach

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First Impressions and Self Care

First Impressions Count

‘You never get a second chance to make the first impression.’
— Andrew Grant

It doesn’t matter the situation; first impressions count. You will always be remembered for your first interaction, so smile and go into it with the intent of the interaction being positive. You can’t fake a smile. You can see it in someone’s eyes (yes, their eyes) and body language and hear it in their tone of voice.

‘ Two things remain irretrievable: time and a first impression.’
— Cynthia Ozick

When you are 100% focused on those you are talking to, you will find yourself paying close attention to their language, mood and tone of voice. The more open and curious you are, the more they will be in return. I enjoy meeting new people. It is not the art of small talk that you need to meet new people; just plain good manners and knowing how to listen.

Take Care

Self Care - Jenny Reilly Consulting, Vancouver Executive Coach

If your child, family member, partner, or workmate is not doing well– you stop what you are doing and take care of them and give them the attention they require. We often put ourselves last in our order of priorities. I have been guilty of not always prioritizing my health and have turned this around – if I am not at my best, how can I be my best with others?

Trust me, it is noticed if you are not sleeping well, eating well, getting exercise, taking note of your appearance or going to work ‘with a low readiness score, ‘ It’s time to take note of how you are ‘turning up at work and home.’

Two clients in January were singing the praises of their Oura ring (ouraring.com) that tracks their sleep score and readiness level, activity, heart rate and body temperature. I was intrigued and purchased one, which is an excellent accompaniment to my Apple watch. Both help me stay on top of how I care for and prioritize my health.

Surround Yourself With The Right People

Surrounding yourself with the right people in your personal and professional life is critical. It impacts your mood, motivation and engagement levels.

I often see in professional settings the hesitance to move someone on if they are not a good performer or fit for the position or team. They may have been a strong performer in the past; however, their heart is no longer in the job, or they are not in the right position. You are only helping an individual if they are in the right job, and placing an underachiever in a team of high performers can pull a team down. It is often assumed that the poor performer will pick up on excellent performer’s habits. However, the opposite tends to happen, and bad habits spread.

‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.’
— Jim Rohn

Your team’s makeup is critical to its success. For each person in your team, rank them on their level of effectiveness in their position (1 low – to five high). For anyone, you rank as a three or under, define if training can help performance or if a position shift is the best alternative.

DISC

Everyone has their own psychology, so how you approach and talk to one person may not be the best way to speak to another. I have been using the DiSC profile with my clients and facilitated 100+ coaching sessions with this tool to help individuals be better communicators.

DiSC is an exceptionally popular behavioural assessment that helps individuals identify their behavioural styles and learn how to interact more effectively with others. The assessment profile will help you adapt your communication style and expectations to increase results, improve team performance, target new hires/clients, develop “rockstar” rapport, and more.

If you are interested in the DiSC profile, the cost is $150, and with an hours debrief with me and the assessment, it is $500. If you want a 60-90 minute training session with your team, the assessment costs $150 per person and a $1,500 workshop fee. Please contact us or reach out directly to jenny@jennyreilly.com and book a complimentary 30-minute strategy session.

 

Jenny Reilly Consulting, Vancouver Executive Coach

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