Kickstart Your High-Performing Team: Leadership Strategies for the New Year
The new year brings a familiar scenario – teams trudging back after the festive period, wrestling with disrupted routines and holiday-induced lethargy. As a leader, your role in rekindling their spark is crucial.
I’ve outlined ten ideas below to help you get your team off to a fast start:
- Understanding the January Blues
Rather than glossing over post-holiday struggles, acknowledge them head-on. Your team might be grappling with motivation or feeling overwhelmed by looming deadlines. Create space for honest dialogue through informal catch-ups where everyone, including yourself, can share their thoughts. Frame this period as a fresh start rather than a return to the grind.
Which elephants in the room will you address head on?
2. Leading by Example
Your energy ripples through the team. Arrive with clear direction and genuine enthusiasm, whilst maintaining your own wellbeing. As Gandhi noted, “Be the change you wish to see” – your behaviour sets the benchmark.
What tone do you want to set to inspire your team?
3. Crafting an Inspiring Vision
Use this moment to paint an engaging picture of the year ahead. Break down lofty goals into tangible milestones, showing how each person’s contribution matters.
The future belongs to those who can see it coming. But the real art lies not just in seeing that future, but in making others see it too—painting it in such vivid colours that they can’t help but want to build it with you.
4. Optimising Team Structure
Take the opportunity to ensure the team is structured for success. Succession planning, upskilling, and aligning roles with individual strengths can make a significant difference in overall performance and satisfaction.
Set the stage for success by:
- Conducting one-on-one meetings to reassess roles and responsibilities.
- Identifying opportunities for growth and ensuring key roles are supported by strong succession plans.
- Aligning individual strengths with team objectives to maximise effectiveness and engagement.
Jim Collins reminds us that great organisations are built by taking the time to align talent and priorities thoughtfully. This deliberate approach fosters a culture of excellence and supports employee engagement at every level.
5. Building Team Unity
Many Leadership gurus, such as Patrick Lencioni, emphasise trust as the bedrock of effective teamwork. Organise meaningful team-building activities, encourage open dialogue, and establish clear working principles. Strong connections boost both morale and output.
Most teams, especially in the UK operate at a surface trust level – Are you ready to step up to level 2 mastering conflict? (We’ve great workshops inspired by Lencioni’s work if you are).
How are you building trust? /taking it to uncommon levels for uncommon results?
6. Maintaining Focus and Accountability
Channel New Year enthusiasm into clear priorities. Work together to identify key objectives, assign ownership, and track progress. Like Bruce Lee’s sums this up perfectly “The successful warrior is the average person with laser-like focus.”
How are accountability levels within your team?
7. Celebrating Early Victories
Build momentum through early wins. Share past achievements and future plans in team gatherings. Recognition can be as simple as verbal appreciation or as formal as organised celebrations. Churchill’s words resonate: “Success isn’t final; failure isn’t fatal. The courage to continue counts.”
What are your quick wins? /first milestones? or what could they be. If you don’t know ask the team and let them take accountability.
8. Managing Remote Teams
For virtual or hybrid teams, intentional connection is vital. Host engaging online kick-offs, maintain regular video check-ins, and leverage digital collaboration tools effectively. As Simon Sinek observes, passion emerges when we care deeply about our work.
How do you connect on a human level with your remote teams?
9. Fostering Innovation
Begin with an exciting brainstorm session. Encourage bold ideas for products and processes. Invite team members to share bold ideas for new products, processes, or improvements to existing systems.
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs
10. Reinforcing Values
Host a session where team members share personal stories about how they’ve seen your business’s core values in action. This approach strengthens alignment with the company’s mission and reminds everyone of the bigger purpose behind their work. For hybrid teams, consider creating a shared video reel of these stories to distribute internally.
True culture is behaviour, not writing on the walls
Remember as Leader you are a role model!
Leadership ultimately means helping others surpass their perceived limits. By addressing challenges whilst nurturing connection and progress, you can transform January into a springboard for success. Your approach now shapes the entire year ahead. Go for it – make 2025 your team’s best-ever year.
Take what’s useful and ignore what is not!
Let us know how you get on and if you need any support.
