With the end of the Year of the Snake, and the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse, we are being offered an opportunity to shed what has passed and prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. The Lunar New Year presents leadership with a unique perspective to this “shift point” because of the qualities that are attached to each year, the animal and element.
The Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese New Year tradition symbolizes intensity, independence, bold movement, and unpredictability. In the past, the years associated with the Fire Horse have been associated with progress, breakthroughs and moving new ideas forward. If we are to experience a year of acceleration and surprise, human-centered leadership becomes even more essential.
What does this mean for leadership?
S – Self Leadership First
I am confident in thinking that you may be wondering if the prediction for the coming lunar year is accurate. If it is, then how will you face the rapid pace expected. I’m happy to say, there are a few key points to keep in mind to be an effective leader without overwhelm or burnout.
Consider focusing on yourself.
What can you do or say to help yourself remain calm in the face of surprises, focused on what is important all while in alignment with your personal purpose? In the Olympics, Marie-Philip Poulin has been described as a great leader on and off the ice because she brings controlled calm to the team, even when the stakes are high – like in the gold medal game against the USA. She is focused on the purpose and shares this to keep her team calm and focused too. When the game ended, she was the one going down the line to hug each player, knowing they were all sad at losing the game.
When you act in alignment with your personal purpose, you reduce the internal friction that you may feel during change, tense or unexpected moments. Consider how you can be the role model of calm in these situations—just like how Poulin has done for her team. People look to you and will notice your reaction and this will have a major impact on those around you.
Emotional Agility
Emotional agility is another facet that will be drawn upon. To build your emotional agility consider:
- hear your Gremlin (inner critic) and challenge its voice so you can remain open to constructive feedback, new ideas and learning opportunities.
- be mindful and in the present. This will help you to protect your energy and lead with confidence and clarity.
- have self-compassion: When you give yourself grace, your ability to lead sustainable transformation with empathy and insight will also be enhanced.
P–Purpose Alignment
A year that is anticipated to present speed, anchoring strategy, goals, actions and communication to your organizational purpose will bring a level of stability when intensity rises.
In preparation, take time to revisit your organizational purpose and ensure everyone one knows and understands their role. Your purpose also offers you a yardstick to measure each initiative against to recognize its long-term impact.
From a communication perspective, it is important to communicate the “why” more than the “what”. When every member of the team recognizes how they are included and why their work is important they will have a greater understanding and this often results in greater engagement.
Lastly, remember your values. Growth within your team, and organization, should not outpace your values. As a leader, if you see this shift happening, it is important to hit the pause button and reevaluate. When growth outpaces values – chaos can ensue – just think of riding a horse that is going faster than you can manage. When you pull back on the reins, the horse slows and you can make any necessary adjustments so you don’t fall and the horse doesn’t become injured. This pause provides the stability you need to stay aligned, controlled and purposeful.
A–Adaptive Agility
The year of the fire horse is expected to bring intensity, independence, bold movement, andunpredictability. In other words, it demands movement—not chaos.
Your focus as a leader will require you to have intentional adaptability. One way to ensure this can occur is to build decision-making clarity across the team. When team members have the ability to make certain decisions you can remain focused on top priority issues and the bigger picture.
Unpredictability requires you and your team to normalize course corrections. It also requires each team member to have accountability for their actions and decisions. This approach may require you to do a bit of experimentation with ideas, changes, and methods – however the vision and purpose remain clear.
Most importantly, agility requires you, as the leader, to recognize the difference between what feels urgent from what is truly important. In recognizing the difference, and remaining agile will allow you to have disciplined flexibility rather than reactive change.
R–Relational Intelligence
When facing fast-paced environments it is normal for stress to be amplified. At these times leadership and your relationship with your team, as well as the relationships between team members are vital. In fact, strong relationships will facilitate the teams resilience, and your ability to navigate the ups and downs and unknows you may face.
Transparency in your actions and communication are critical. It’s ok to share that you are feeling a bit stressed too. Let the team understand the full situation as you know it right now. When people believe you are holding back, or not being fully truthful, doubt, confusion and chaos usually follows.
Your role as a leader is to lead. Checking in with each team member – not just to check on their progress but to see how they are doing as a person. Taking the temperature of the team will help you build the trust, confidence and psychological safety needed for bold ideas and bold action. This check-in will also help empower team members to step up and share in the leadership. I always say there is a hidden leader in every team – this is the environment when they will shine.
Overall, when you build strong relationships, you can draw upon your team’s skills and the emotional intelligence you have collectively. The culture you nurture acts as a shock absorber when volatility prevails.
K—Keep Momentum Sustainable
When you and the team are experiencing persistent intensity, burnout becomes a real factor that can undermine your entire team. In fact, your key focus needs to shift to sustainable growth over short-term wins.
Culture
Building a culture that embraces a human-centered approach, where well-being is a key strategy is vital for long-term and sustainable momentum and success. Your role will be keeping your eye on the team, how they are responding, what’s working, what’s not and are there signs of fatigue, stress or burnout.
One way leadership can embrace the intensity and prevent burnout is to ensure well-being is placed above output. Encouraging self-care and rest will lead to measurable impact beyond output. I always say I’d rather give someone a break to rest and rejuvenate than lose them for a long period. I always love workplaces that have created quiet rooms for team members to use for this exact purpose.
Celebrate Progress
Another way to keep the team on side and adjusting to the intense work pace is to celebrate the progress that is being made, not just the outcomes. Many times a stage of a project can take weeks or months. Milestones are often celebrated, yet so much progress may be needed to even reach each milestone. Recognizing the process elevates growth. Ignoring it can deplete energy and the growth achieved isn’t true growth.
Final Thoughts
So, if the Year of the Fire Horse delivers the unpredictable, fast-paced environment and the need for bold ideas and bold decisions, I hope my SPARK™ lens offers you some leadership help. And I leave you with this final thought.
In a year defined by movement and unpredictability, the leaders who will thrive are not those who chase the fire—but those who channel it with clarity, courage and care.
If you are looking to lead a team differently this year where you are the catalyst for change, stablizer and want to achieve more without losing yourself in the process, I invite you to book a complimentary Ignition call to see how I can assist you to have clarity, courage and confidence to make the bold next steps.
Check out our coaching programs to learn more.
