What would you guess the top three new year's resolutions are every year? If you aren't sure, just turn on the tube and you'll see a news report on this subject on just about every station in town. For those of you who can't remember the last time you sat down to watch TV, the top 3 are: Lose weight, manage money better and maintaining relationships better. By the way my resolutions this year are the same as last year...

I'm not making any.

So that I don't appear a hypocrite, let me challenge you to make one change as a leader, not only for 2008, but for the rest of your life: Make the time to take a time out. Make the time to fight the continual urge to do more. Instead, reflect more. Part of your responsibility as a leader is to lead versus manage. Managers are about processes, procedures, and what's going on now. Leaders are visionaries who look beyond right now and anticipate the what ifs.

In a Harvard Business Review article February 2006 "The Seasoned Executive's Decision Making Style", 120,000 executives were evaluated to identify decision making styles. Part of their discovery about decision making styles was the most successful executives moved from a decisive (direct, efficient, fast and firm) to integrative (people frame problems broadly, using input from multiple sources involving multiple courses of action that evolve over time) game plan.

And how does one do this? By taking the time to stop and reflect on the big picture. Learn to pause daily to reflect and meditate on the most important things in your life and work. Do it before you leave for work in the morning (many of you know what time I do mine) or shut your office door during the day and do it then. Consider using physical exercise as a time to reflect (it's amazing how many good ideas or problems are solved while running, swimming, or biking).

Here are a couple of questions to get you started:   

What did you learn from your successes and set backs in 2007?

If you had 10 minutes each day to do the most important thing, what would it be?

I challenge you to lead your team by example this year and EVERY YEAR as one who will personally spend time reflecting. And then go one step further by making the time at least each quarter to get away with the other leaders to step back from the everyday, mundane, urgent, crisis-oriented mode to leverage the ability to do something about the most important and significant aspects in life and work.

Yogi Berra once said, "We're lost, but we're making good time." Don't be lost. Make better time by taking the time to reflect on where you're going and what you're about.