As 2019 draws to a close our partners have been reflecting on the adventure of 2019 and also looking ahead and goal setting for 2020.
Charles Brook – Founder
Like many people at this time of year, I like to take time to reflect on the successes of my year and set goals for next. Personally, I’ve found Jinny Ditzler’s Your Best Year Yet a great framework to support me in doing this.
For me, it’s important to take a holistic view of my life and consider all aspects so I think about the successes I’ve had not only in my professional life but my successes related to my fitness, my family, sport, my community. Just writing a list of everything I’ve achieved is hugely gratifying. So often in our busy lives, we don’t take the time to celebrate all that we achieve.
I’m also spending some time reflecting on the areas where I didn’t achieve what I’d set out to at the start of the year. In doing this I really dig in to what the patterns are that stopped me reaching my desired goals. This is the best way to really grow and develop.
So for 2020, I’m considering my life and all the different roles I fulfil i.e. as a brother, partner, colleague, leader and thinking about what I want to achieve in each of those roles. Whilst goal setting I’m also thinking about what I need to do more of, less of or differently to help me achieve my goals in 2020.
However you like to do it, take some time to celebrate your achievements. Wishing you a successful 2020, whatever success looks like for you!
Andrew McDowell – Partner
As we draw towards the end of another year and enter a time of celebration with friends and family, there’s also an opportunity for pause and reflection.
2019 has been an incredible year for TPC Leadership and I am deeply appreciative of the many opportunities we have had to support incredibly passionate and system changing leaders around the world.
Someone wise once told me that … “where your particular skills and talents meet the needs of the world, you will find your opportunity to be of service”.
A particular highlight where we have been of service has been our work supporting leaders in the international NGO and United Nations systems through global coaching programmes and team and leadership programmes that have taken us to places such as Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Iran, Belize and Thailand.
Our work in this space is truly an opportunity to be of service. It’s challenging, humbling, inspiring and deeply satisfying.
Biran Yilancioglu – Associate Partner
In the hustle of the daily work/life, it can be difficult to take time to reflect. I believe this time of the year provides us with the opportunity to look back on the past year and see what we have experienced. As we approach the end of 2019 I’m taking this opportunity now.
When I look back on 2019, there were really challenging times in my life, both personally and professionally. I realised that the number one thing that helped me to overcome those times was to remember and stay connected with my purpose. Being aware of what I am doing/not doing and for what reason. The second thing that helped me was to remember that everything is temporary and it is just a phase. Keeping in mind that it is not going to last forever, either good or bad.
So I hope in this new year we all can keep and maintain the mindset of “nothing will last forever”, and with this mindset, we all enjoy our good days and overcome bad days.
Hilary Harvey – Associate Partner
Like many people, I take the opportunity at the end of the year for reflecting on the past 12 months and setting my intentions for the year ahead. I admit it can be challenging to fit this in amongst the busyness of completing on work priorities and enjoying time with family over the holidays, but definitely worth the investment to support my ongoing learning and sense of appreciation and meaning.
This year I’m very grateful for colleagues who are passionate about building a strong sense of team, and our willingness to challenge ourselves to be role models for better leadership in the world. I’ve been inspired by our work in the UN system, supporting leaders in highly complex environments and our pro-bono work with our charity partner WYSE International, to support emerging leaders for global change.
As we face the UN Decade of Action towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), my focus for 2020 will be on encouraging team members to understand how we can lead change more effectively in support of the SDGs, and to have courageous conversations with clients about how leadership in their context also has a wider impact on our planet.
Vicky Ferrier – Associate Partner
For each of the last six years, I have had a “word of the year”. Like Pantone’s colour for 2019, Living Coral, the word I choose “embraces me with warmth and nourishment and provides comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment”. My word is both an intention and a goal: a way to stay in relationship with my purpose and what I want more of in my life.
Appropriately, this tradition started with courage. Winston Churchill said courage is the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that guarantees all others. I created a blog, Courage Matters, and said “I am a writer”.
The following year it was clarity. With only eight weeks notice on our rental property, it looked like we’d be homeless. However, seven weeks and five days later, despite not being the highest bidders, we were the owners of a house with not one, but two, cupolas. Light-filled Clarity House is our forever-home.
The next year joy taught me a lot about purpose. Grace did not come naturally: I might have to repeat. Power was forced upon me when I realised during David Drake’s Narrative Coaching retreat that I had only one definition of it: the dominating, power-over kind. Thank you to Scilla Elworthy for teaching me another.
I have Diana Whitmore to thank for surrender: offering a blessing card, that was the word on the card I selected at the end of the first module of Senior Coach Practitioner.
I felt a bit sick. Surrender? I’m Scottish. Land of William Wallace, Flora MacDonald and the resurfaced Andy Murray. Never. Surrender.
And yet, surrender has proven to be the most transformative. My words were the beginnings of an orchestra, waiting for their conductor surrender to show up. 2019: the year I finally began to truly listen to the beat of my own drum.
Catherine Bardwell – Associate Partner
As 2019 draws to a close I am taking some time to reflect on what the year has delivered both professionally and personally, appreciating all the wonderful things that have happened and also taking time to sit with some of the more challenging things I have faced during the year.
One of my key learnings this year has been the importance of understanding our key strengths when aiming to be our best self. When we are able to do this we can truly excel! As well as reflecting on the past year I am feeling incredibly energised looking forward to my plans and setting my goals for 2020!
I hope you can take some time too during this busy time to reflect back on what you have appreciated this year and also to look forward to what the new year has in store.
If you have been inspired by our partners to do some reflection of your own, take a look at these questions developed by Andrew McDowell.
Looking back at the past year
-
- What were my important learning experiences; what did I learn and how did I grow?
- What work did I do on myself and what was the impact?
- What have I felt changing and maturing in me?
- Where have I felt challenged to become more?
- What strengths have I grown and developed?
- When was I called to stand up for what I believe in and express my values?
- What am I most proud of?
- What were some of the important moments in my valued relationships that enriched my life experience?
- Where do I feel aligned and attuned to my sense of purpose?
- What experiences brought me joy?
Looking ahead to the new year
-
- What do I want to “do” and how do I intend to “be” in different areas of my life? (Personal growth & development, relationships & family, friendships, work & career, community)
- What adventures do I want to have?
- What new skills and habits do I want to develop?
- What do I need to do to find a sense of personal alignment & stay connected to what’s important to me?
- What do I need to do and be to foster my resilience and ability to be proactive?
- What do I know about how I find a sense of meaning in my life that I want to explore and nourish?
- How do I want to use my time and money resources to lead the life I want to lead?
- Where do I want to be of service and make a positive contribution?
- What do I need to do and be in order to feel proud and satisfied about how I use my life energy this year?
- What qualities do I want to nurture and express?
We hope we have inspired you to take a look back at your year and reflect on all that you have achieved and also look forward to 2020 and think about what you want the year to deliver. We wish you a happy, restful holiday season, from all the team at TPC Leadership.
