THE POWER OF A FRESH START: Using the New Year + New Campus for a Leadership Reset
The New Year is a unique moment in time where, collectively, we tend to feel renewed inspiration and determination to set new goals. But, January 1 isn’t the only time we can take advantage of that energy and momentum and chart a new course.
Research on the “Fresh-Start Effect” reveals that ANY new beginning can give us the same boost in motivation and drive to make positive changes and we can capitalize on this energy boost at many key moments beyond the New Year:
-Start of a new week
-Start of a new month
-Birthdays
-Holidays
-Returning from vacation
-Big cultural events or milestones
As we learned at Triannual III, not all change coming on the horizon may feel positive or encouraging and we may feel resistance or discomfort about what’s ahead. In this season, we may feel stretched to make difficult choices and environmental constraints may be causing major shifts in how we’ve always done business. Additionally, as an organization, we are walking into one of the most significant adjustments and transitions our system has faced in a century.
As challenging as some of the adjustments, changes, and cut backs may be, we have the opportunity to leverage this moment for a new beginning. We can decide anew today who we want to be as a leader, how we want to show up for our roles, how we want to lead our team, and what we’d like Trinity Health as a whole to become.
The move to the new campus is one of the “fresh start” moments where our entire organization is able to press the “reset” button and completely reshape how we operate, communicate, and deliver care to our patients.
Even for those who aren’t moving to the new campus, there will be significant shifts for everyone once the move takes place – we may not see the same coworkers in the hall every day, we may have new processes to adjust to, and we will have a whole new way of interacting with our patients and vendors who are adjusting to the changes, too.
We have a few choices as we launch into this new beginning:
1) RESTITUTION: We can actively resist the changes and fight to hold on to a “restitution” narrative, grasping tightly to the way things have always been
2) CHAOS: We can go through this transition without any intentionality, swept up in the flurry and missing the opportunity to capitalize on the change this season will bring
3) QUEST: We can plant a stake in the ground and use this moment as a new beginning, a new adventure, and a great chance to start with a clean, fresh slate. We can set intentional goals fueled by our Why and the greater vision of what’s ahead, and transform the experience that every employee, every patient, and each one of us has every day at Trinity Health.
Embracing the Quest can allow us to leave behind any hurts, frustrations, tensions, and disagreements we’ve had in the past. We can leave behind any mistakes and failures and insecurities we’ve carried and step into a new identity as the confident and capable leaders we’ve been practicing to become.
We can start over, start fresh, and reset.
EMBRACING THE QUEST: Take some time to reflect on everything you’re leaving behind and cast a new vision for what’s to come. List specific behaviors and beliefs you’d like to leave behind and write the opposite belief and behavior that you’re going to adopt to work toward positive change.
Give your coworkers and teammates the permission to restart too and let’s make this next season at Trinity Health our best one yet.
LEADER-TO-LEADER: Role Clarity Reset
Our Leader-to-Leader Update and Agenda tools are the backbone of our 1:1s with our leaders and our direct reports who are leaders.
As you prepare for this month’s 1:1 at the start of a new year and the beginning of this new season, use your 1:1 as an opportunity to reset expectations around your role and the role of those on your team.
Especially when things are busy, our role in the organization can take on many new levels and new responsibilities can change the focus of our position and alter the results we must reach to win.
Here’s a simple way to gain clarity on your role and what’s expected of you so you can start the new year off right:
1) In one sentence, state a summary of your position
2) List three Key Results Areas you’re responsible for (think about what you were hired to accomplish, what are the main activities you do every day, and which activities are most essential for Trinity Health’s success)
3) For each Key Area, what does winning look like? (who is affected, what will you have accomplished, why was this work essential?)
4) For each Key Area, what will it take to accomplish that win? (A sales person may need to make 50 calls per day to work towards their win. A great nurse manager may need to complete 15 minutes of employee rounding each day. What are the essential steps you must take in your role?)
5) Share your answers with your leader and communicate frequently about any challenges or obstacles you may face along the way. And, of course, celebrate your wins when you’re able to make progress in these Key Areas!
Important note about role clarity:
-Your role and responsibilities will ebb and flow throughout your career, even if you have the same title and job description. Use this exercise to gain clarity with your leader about the next 3-6 months, then revisit this exercise and make any adjustments that are needed after the move.
*Adapted from Ramsey Solutions + Smartsheet
SAVE THE DATE! January Leadership Roundtable
January 24 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm | Skyline Room
Rachel MK Headley, PhD, will help us develop a Growth Mindset as we launch the new year and prepare for the move to the HCMD.
Dr. Headley will walk us through different personality styles and approaches to change and give us tangible tools on how to lead each personality type through transition.
Dr. Headley is the co-author of iX Leadership: Create High-Five Cultures and Guide Transformation and serves as CEO of Rose Group International, a project management, change management, and leadership consulting firm dedicated to helping leaders and businesses solve problems around teamwork, productivity, time management, and retention, so leaders can more effectively achieve aspirational goals.
Dr. Headley is a Forbes coach, TedX Speaker, and former NASA scientist who resides in Spearfish, South Dakota. She has over two decades of experience leading complex and groundbreaking achievements, managing big projects, uniting diverse international stakeholders, and guiding teams through change. You can rest assured that she has actually led teams and knows what works.
Click here to RSVP. See you then!