Reflect on 2021 to set up this year's successes

Reflect on 2021 to set up this year's successes | Why leadership empathy should evolve into compassion | 4 traits of strong working groups Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( January 3, 2022 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](  [] Leading Edge [] [Reflect on 2021 to set up this year's successes]( The new year is a good time to reflect on your accomplishments and set new goals, especially if you turn the exercise into a story where you're creating the narrative and executing it, writes Ken Downer. "All this reflecting is nothing more than a pointless navel lint inspection exercise unless we apply what we learn to our actions in the future," Downer writes. Full Story: [Rapid Start Leadership]( (12/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Why leadership empathy should evolve into compassion]( Compassion can be defined as the highest level of support and understanding -- much more than simple pity and with the emotional distance required to continue making the right business decisions, write Potential Project CEO Rasmus Hougaard, Jacqueline Carter and Marissa Afton. "Empathy is essential for connection and then we can leverage the spark to lead with compassion," they write. Full Story: [Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model)]( (12/23) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Strategic Management [] [4 traits of strong working groups]( Strategic working groups can be effective when they have clear rules and boundaries so solutions don't impose on other groups and trust is built gradually, writes Jason Wong, a former engineering leader at Yahoo Sports and Etsy. "If you're just getting started as a working group, you should think of yourselves as a new team that needs to learn how to roll over, crawl, and walk before you can get to running," Wong writes. Full Story: [LeadDev]( (12/20) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [How one CEO led team communication after a typhoon]( When a Category 5 typhoon hit the Philippines last month, Buy Box Experts CEO Joseph Hansen and his team implemented their disaster-relief plan, which included daily updates, a dashboard and working with other companies to get supplies to affected employees. This response was possible, Hansen says, because of the company's lived values, its years of preparation and "intentional habits that lead your teams personally and professionally to improve yourselves, your peers, and your environment." Full Story: [Forbes (tiered subscription model)]( (12/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Working A weekly spotlight on doing more without working longer [] [Don't let uncertainty keep you from making decisions]( Uncertainty may make decision-making harder, but what can help is a pause for reflection, getting support from friends and knowing that many decisions can be altered as circumstances change. "Uncertainty can be exhausting, and I've found the mere acknowledgment of that struggle is useful, and reassuring," says retired nurse Carolyn Knight. Full Story: [Next Avenue]( (12/29) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [How sharing struggles can bolster your mental health]( LinkedIn employee Beth Kutscher shares how she struggled through 2021 with her father's death, a health scare for her husband and the resulting personal trauma, yet she waited months to share any of this difficulty with her co-workers. "I made myself vulnerable in sharing something you don't necessarily want your big boss to read: that sometimes I struggled to find balance," Kutscher writes. Full Story: [LinkedIn]( (12/20) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Remembering the legend of John Madden]( [Remembering the legend of John Madden]( Pat Summerall (left) and Madden in 2002 (Frank Micelotta Archive/Getty Images) John Madden was a Super Bowl-winning coach and an iconic broadcaster who had fun with football while also teaching audiences about the sport's nuances, Josh Levin writes. Meanwhile, Madden's most enduring legacy might be the "Madden" video game franchise, which debuted 34 years ago on the Apple II computer and has defined the game for generations of players. Full Story: [Slate]( (12/29), [The New York Times]( (12/29) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] About The Editor [] James daSilva James daSilva Hi, it's your SmartBrief on Leadership editor! Thank you for reading and subscribing. I hope y'all had a restful end of the year, and thanks for hanging out with [Paula Kiger]( while I was on vacation. As we fully enter 2022, I'll share one last time [SmartBrief's top blog posts of 2021](. I hope they can help your leadership journey. It's also time for a new-ish headshot, as I've actually gotten real haircuts since I took the photo you've seen for many months. If this newsletter helps you, please tell your colleagues, friends or anyone who can benefit. Forward them this email, or [send this link](. What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have praise? Criticism? [Drop me a note.](mailto:jdasilva@smartbrief.com) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Sharing SmartBrief on Leadership with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. Help Spread the Word [SHARE]( Or copy and share your personalized link: smartbrief.com/leadership/?referrerId=japnABMSAp [] [] New year -- a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours. Alex Morritt, writer, poet [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email](   SmartBrief publishes more than 200 free industry newsletters - [Browse our portfolio]( [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Advertise with SmartBrief]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy policy]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) Future US LLC ©, 10th floor, 1100 13th Street, Suite #1000, N.W Washington, DC 20005