2017 is going to be a big year for me. I mean, it’s going to be HUUUUUUGE! This is the year where I will turn 40 years old. I know, I know – you probably thought that I crossed that threshold years ago given that I have the gray hair of a man decades my senior and I have the experience of someone who’s been on this earth since the early 1950’s. But, no. I turn 40 in 2017.
My birthday’s in June, so please don’t rush me there. I want to enjoy the last 6 months of being 39 as long as I can. But, I do find that I’m reflecting on the implication of officially stepping across the line of being “young” to being “old.” Since I write about leadership, I thought it would neat to capture some early thoughts about the big 4-0.
So, here are 5 differences I hope to see in my leadership in my 40’s:
- I won’t have to re-learn the same leadership lessons over and over. I don’t know about you, but I find that I have moments where I feel like I’m new to leadership. I make dumb mistakes that I should know better. And then I pay the consequences. I want to, in this new decade of life, move to the level of leadership where I’m making new mistakes and not just repeating the ones I’ve done before.
- I’ll be a more confident leader, from the start. When I start something new – a new project, working with a new team, a new job – I tend to lack confidence in my leadership. I know that I’m a good leader, but somehow I become silent and unsure of myself. I’m sure that my 40’s will bring new opportunities and I want to be confident from day one. I want to make an impact right off the start and move with confidence into whatever is new.
- I’ll listen to God more than myself. Ok, this is a big one. As a leader, I typically think that it’s got to be all me. I’ve got to make the decision, I have to come up with the vision, and I have to move the ball down the field. With that mindset, I can often rely too much on my own intellect and my own experience and not enough on God who knows far more than I do and can see things that I could never see. In my 40’s, I want to consult God first – and not myself.
- I’ll go first in forming new relationships. Being an introvert, I tend to wait on others to initiate a new relationship. Sure, I’ll speak to others and even carry on conversations regularly. What I’m talking about here is taking a relationship beyond a casual one. Because what is also true about introverts is that we are often the most committed and loyal friends once that level of relationship has been reached. I want to invite people out for lunch or coffee first…I want to mentor and be mentored…and I want to take existing relationships into the “friend zone.”
- I will more intentionally invest in other leaders. I love leaders. This blog gives me an outlet to invest virtually in other leaders. But, I want to take steps to invest on a personal level in other leaders. I want to coach, mentor, and consult other leaders to help them reach a new level in their leadership. I’m not exactly sure what this looks like, but if you’re interested in leadership coaching for yourself or your team, will you send me a message by clicking here? Based on the response I get, I’ll formulate a plan and get you some details.
Here I go! I’m diving head-first into my 40’s! I want my 40’s to be my best decade yet and I’ve got some more goals brewing for myself. What are your thoughts about these leadership goals? Head over to my Facebook page and let’s chat about them there…