I'm contemplating my Focus Theme for 2024. Selecting an annual focus theme has been part of my growth journey for several years. In 2021 my focus theme was belonging and in 2022, it was empathy. Moving from the USA to Australia influenced my 2023 focus theme, adaptability. The years prior included themes of self-awareness, servant leadership, communication, the power of 'yes', boundaries, and more.
What is a Focus Theme? It's how I choose to approach daily situations throughout the year. It involves a healthy dose of theme immersion, finding experts on the subject, and reading/listening to their work to the point of saturation. Then I practice applying said focus theme. I practice in my head. I practice in my personal life. I practice in my professional roles. I practice by writing. I practice daily. I practice until that focus theme becomes comfortable. Then, I practice more.
In my morning newsfeed, this Korn Ferry research article, Five Future Workplace Skills that Everyone Needs, caught my attention. In the article, we find the skills C-Suite executives value. Adaptability. Collaboration. Communication. Critical Thinking. Empathy. These are indeed a valuable set of skills, critical to both career and personal growth.
The challenging part of this process [for me] is selecting a single annual focus theme. It’s tough to commit to only one because I’d happily explore 10 if time allowed. Yet the benefits of a single focus theme for the year are incredibly impactful. There are two skills on Korn Ferry’s list that have not previously been my focus theme: critical thinking and collaboration. Both are important, but I can only select one. Though I talk/write/teach/practice collaboration, it’s not been a focus theme. Which is odd, but true. It’s time to fill this alignment gap.
My 2024 focus theme: Collaboration.
Until Next Time,
Dana
PS ~ Looking for your collaboration guru recommendations!
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