How do you begin?

Ah January, how I love ya. 

The first weeks of a new year are about fresh beginnings. I love the emergent energy of returning from the summer break - a chance to clean the desk (a big job, it turns out!) and start anew. To sit in a place of choice, and ask myself, what am I looking forward to in 2024? Such an uplifting thing to do. 

How you begin the year matters, and this is especially true for teams. Many teams find January tricky because there’s no clean start date. Here in Australia, we tend to return to work in a gentle trickle - with some folks leaping back in as soon as the New Year public holiday is done, with others squeezing the holiday vibes out of the whole month. Before you know it, it’s February. 

I believe every team needs to officially launch its year. To regroup and stoke the campfire. 

Pick a date, get everyone together - in person, if possible - and choose a few questions to get everyone talking and reconnecting. Here are a few of my favourites:

• What are we looking forward to in 2024?
• Who do we seek to be in 2024? How do we want people to experience us?
• What’s the most important shift we want to make in our own growth/development?
• What lasting difference might 2024 make for our future selves?

What questions would you throw into the mix?