What an auspicious day to begin another year of Tuesday Minutes! This marks the start of my fourth year of writing and producing these mini missives. Since so many of you keep telling me you read and value them, I will keep writing them – every Tuesday – rain or shine, sleet or snow, holiday or no! Here’s my traditional favorite New Year’s quotation, from the German author and poet, Rainer Marie Rilke, who said:
“Now let us welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.”

Food for Thought ~

What a wonderful way to think of the coming year – full of new experiences, ideas, activities and insights. I invite you to take a moment right now to reflect on what you want your year to be. (If you don’t do it right now, schedule a specific time in your calendar.) Taking time for reflection is one of the most important things a leader can do maximize effectiveness and personal work/life satisfaction. Ironically, it also happens to be one of the most neglected, probably because it’s not a matter of urgency. Remember, what’s urgent may not be important, and what’s important may not be urgent. A fine, simple, yet profound resolution for the coming year would be to “pay attention to what’s truly important.”

Question for the day ~

In the coming year, what goals and aspirations do you have for yourself as a leader, for your organization? What’s important to you?

In Closing ~

Your feedback is genuinely valued. Knowing that you are reading these Minutes means a lot to me, and inspires me to keep writing. So please let me know when you especially enjoy or find something particularly meaningful. I may not be able to answer every message, but I absolutely do read, appreciate, and gain insight from them, so thank you!

With my very best wishes for the coming year,

Mary