#Oneword for 2019…Purposeful

Special thanks to Bullis School colleague, Stacey Roshan (@buddyxo) for sharing her blog about #oneword and inspiring other Bullis staff including myself to share their one word for 2019. One of the challenges for individuals in taking on the task of selecting one word is as much about finding the right word as it was about knowing it will be met with judgment or evaluation by others. After all, when we put ourselves out there, people are going to attach a judgment to it. We all want to find that unique word we can share, you know the one that is not too cliche while also not being so obscure you have to help explain the rationale behind it. However, with the right mindset, challenges like this are merely opportunities to help yourself grow. As Seth Godin states:

“Hard work is about risk. It begins when you deal with the things that you’d rather not deal with: fear of failure, fear of standing out, fear of rejection. Hard work is about training yourself to leap over this barrier, drive through the other barrier. And after you’ve done that, to do it again the next day.”

While not aware of the #oneword challenge last year, I can confidently say that I unknowingly chose a word that impacted many of my decisions and that was “ownership.” It can mean different things to different people and context is always important when we consider words or language. The word and idea took on new meaning in January 2018 when I read the book, Extreme Ownership, by @jockowillink and @LeifBabin that a colleague gave me as a gift. Reading the book certainly provided a different perspective and had me thinking in new ways when engaged in challenges at work or home. That said, I did not fully embrace the idea in all of my actions, words or choices. As I look to 2019 and all of the opportunities that lie in wait each day, I plan to take greater ownership of my #oneword and to keep it at the forefront of my decision making.

As I considered the myriad of words in the English language, I wanted to identify a word that represented my authentic self and would simultaneously challenge me. This led me to “purposeful”.

• I will be purposeful with my words and actions in all aspects of my life regardless of circumstances.
• Clarity of purpose will drive my communication and interactions.
• I will support those around me at home and work to be purposeful in their decision making and choices by asking questions and listening more.

By being purposeful in all that I am doing, I can help make change. Many fear change and can only embrace it or accept if they truly understand the “why” behind the change. While I often reference Simon Sinek and have our staff talk about their “why” I also know that I have not always been purposeful when it comes to explaining change.

By harnessing the power of the #oneword challenge, I can move closer towards my job as Seth Godin sees it:

“Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better than we found them.” Seth Godin

I will hold myself accountable to my #oneword by adding it to my weekly and monthly reflections. As I approach the two year anniversary of when I started written reflections, I recently shared a blog about the changes I made and this will be yet another. I plan to add two more questions to my reviews:

When was I purposeful in my communication and actions this week/month? (It is important to make note of when you are successful so you can build on your wins. Too many reviews only focus on the negative and not the positive.)

How can I improve my communication and interaction with staff to ensure clarity of purpose? (This second question gets to the growth aspect of my reviews and that is paramount to my development as a leader.)

I encourage you to consider taking on the #oneword challenge and identifying a word to help guide the year ahead so you can make it the best one yet.