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As we look forward to another year, 2021, we have been on a journey of a great and blessed year! Optimism allows us to move on and bring us hopes and dream big in our lives. Thank you for all the love, support, time, and efforts you give life and leadership. The year 2020 was a year full of challenges, but we stayed on the course of optimism, prayers, perseverance, and faith in the Lord! I pray that God brings you the gifts of wisdom, discernment, compassion, and a healthy life! We are looking forward to many incredible things ahead! Prayers will keep us together. Stay in peace, unity, and love! Happy safe and blessed New Year to all!

Today, you can make a profound, fundamental choice to be a leader, whatever your circumstances may be. Begin by asking yourself this question: “Do I want to be a leader?” If you are already a leader, “Do I want to become a better leader?” Most likely, the answer is yes if you could be a leader or a better leader. (Notice that I didn’t ask you if you thought you could be a leader. I question whether if you could have it, would you take it!)

Some items are more important than being a leader, for example, your health and your family. Yes, having good health is more important than being a leader. Your health deserves to be right up there in your top priority. It should be your prized possession. To withstand the amazing chaos of leadership, you need your health. So, today what are you doing to either stay healthy or get healthy on your leadership journey?

Leadership is messy; it is complicated, and somedays it can be painful and beautiful in the same day. It takes courage to embrace the chaos and look at it as a gift. Leadership comes with amazing chaos, and the advantages are rewarding if you step into it.

What kind of trails are you leaving behind on your leadership journey? The world is changing faster than we can consume. The only way to adopt is to grow personally; review your beliefs, ideas, leadership style, and see how your development grows. Change is inevitable, but you have the choice to grow or not. What kind of change are you making today that will leave a trail on your leadership journey.

It all comes back to you because the most critical piece in being a leader is your ability to take ownership of your choices. Choice means it’s your call—you can do it or not (whatever “it” is). Making a choice is the power to make a decision. There are three distinct types of choice primary, secondary, and fundamental.

The primary choice is something we want more than anything else. (a leader)

Secondary choice concerns the action we take to support our primary choice, even if we don’t want to do them. For example, as a leader, you don’t like having a regular meeting with your people, but you are willing to do it to have active communication with your team.

The fundamental choice is what defines your state of leadership. It is where you stand. It’s your choice to be a leader. It’s what you are willing to fight for being a leader.

Once you have identified your primary choice, it’s easy to determine how to make the secondary choice support the first choice. Many secondary choices wouldn’t take place if you didn’t have a primary choice. It comes back to you and your choices.

Throughout your time in leadership, you will face a situation that demands a choice. Even by not making a choice, you have made a choice.

It was 2018, and my New Year’s goal was to write thank-you notes to every one of our 2000 employees. It is my belief they each employee has two choices. A choice to continue working for the organization or to move to a different organization. While it may be true that some people need to find their happy place someplace else, the majority of people we want to continually re-recruit. It is with people that our goals are met or not. As leaders, you have a responsibility to your employees and should be able to answer the following.

1. What can our employees expect of you
2. Do you know their goals and can help them reach their goals
3. What is the highest potential they can achieve by working for you
4. Can they trust you with their future
5. Will, you be honest with them
6. Do you trust them to do their job

As a leader, you are responsible for making the future promising and making promises for the future. You are also responsible for letting your people know how much you appreciate them and thanking them for choosing your organization.

I did reach my goal of writing each person a handwritten individualized thank-you note. About 25% of the employees emailed me that they received the message at home and saying wonderful words in return. One went so far to say she framed it as she had never received a thank-you note before.

To be a successful leader, you inherently put yourself in a fragile position. As you become a true leader, the fragility of your job becomes more pronounced. Now is a time to assess your effectiveness and inclusive leadership. It is also the time to build stronger relationships.

In a way, leadership is like a delicate car engine. The power exists, and it does not. It is available once you turn the key, but it means nothing until driven. Much of its effect depends on the type of engine. The best leaders, like the best engines, inspire us to see new possibilities.

Inclusion and diversity discussions are front and center in business as it should be. As a leader, you are responsible for inclusion and diversity in your areas. A corporation with a VP to oversee inclusion and diversity is doing away with the position once realized that this doesn’t happen from afar but must be each leader’s responsibility. As a leader, your responsibility is to look at your workforce to ensure that diversity represents your community. Since the word inclusion means the act of being included, your responsibility is to include your workforce in discussions and decisions.

Our brains are comfortable with people who believe the same, which may fly in the face of inclusion and diversity. We have all seen the same gender leadership groups; now is the time to ask yourself whether this represents inclusion and diversity.