Leading with Intention: 8 Questions to Guide Your Year

At the start of each year, many of us set personal resolutions to improve habits, and we often establish professional goals for ourselves and our teams. For leaders, this time offers an opportunity to reflect on and assess their leadership styles. Even the most successful leaders with productive, engaged, and supportive teams can benefit from occasional adjustments. Leadership is a fluid journey, not a destination.

Here are a few guiding questions to help you reflect on your leadership and assess whether your current approach is helping or hindering your team’s performance and cohesion. You ask yourself one question a week for the first two months of the year and then spend the rest of the year making small adjustments in these areas.

1. How am I collectively engaging with my team ?

Ask yourself:

• • Have I clearly communicated the team’s role within the organization and the vision for the year?
  • Am I providing the right resources and support to ensure team members can work together effectively?
  • How can I cultivate a deeper sense of belonging and purpose within the team?

2. How am I engaging with individual contributors?

Ask yourself:

• • Am I taking the time to understand each team member’s needs, goals, and motivations?
  • Do I know how they like to be recognized or rewarded? For example, do they prefer private praise, or is public acknowledgment motivating for them?
  • Are they in the right role, where their skills and strengths are being fully utilized? Are there unique skills they have that are currently underutilized in their position?
  • Do I give meaningful feedback, both positive and areas for improvement?

3. What is my brand in the organization and how does it impact my team? A leader’s “brand” is how they are perceived within the organization—both by their team and by other teams and stakeholders.

Ask yourself:

• • What is my brand in the organization? Am I seen as approachable, supportive, and reliable?
  • Does my reputation help or hinder my team’s ability to perform at their best?
  • Am I consistent in my actions and words, or do I send mixed messages?

4. Do I talk more than I listen?

Ask yourself:

• • Am I giving enough space for my team to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns?
  • Do I actively listen when others speak, or do I find myself dominating conversations?

5. Do I do what I say I will do?

Ask yourself:

• • Do I honor the deadlines my team has by providing timely information?
  • Am I known as responsive? Do I sit on emails, voicemails, or text messages or do I provide thoughtful, timely responses?

6. Am I supporting my team’s contribution to the organization’s stakeholders?

Ask yourself:

• • Do I regularly check in with key stakeholders to understand their expectations and concerns?
  • How well does my team understand the organization’s strategic goals, mission, and what is most important right now?

7. How am I adjusting my leadership style based on team dynamics?

Reflect on how adaptable you are as a leader. Ask yourself:

• • Do I know when to be directive and when to step back and empower my team?
  • How well do I adapt my approach to suit the unique personalities and working styles within my team?

8. Do I build a culture of continuous improvement and feedback?

Ask yourself:

• • Do I encourage open and honest feedback within my team?
  • How can I create an environment where failure is seen as a learning opportunity rather than a setback?
  • How do I model the behavior of continuous improvement for my team?

Conclusion: Being vulnerable during a time of reflection can bring small changes with big impacts.

A couple of times per year, take time to reflect not just on goals or results, but on how you lead, engage, and empower your team members. Your leadership journey is an ongoing process, and small adjustments along the way can lead to powerful long-term results.