A mid-year check-in and reset is a powerful tool to reflect, refocus, and realign with your goals and intentions.
As the year progresses, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily routine and lose sight of your larger goals so it's important to take a little bit of time for a mid-year check-in.
Whether you're evaluating your personal life or your role as a leader, taking the time to reflect will illuminate what’s working well, and where you can shift course to achieve better success.
A mid-year check-in is a strategic pause that allows you to evaluate, adjust, and refocus so you can accelerate your development as a leader and team, and be more intentional about your energy and effort going forward. By asking the right questions, you can gain valuable insights, make informed decisions, and set yourself and your team up for success in the second half of the year.
To go through your mid-year check-in, take a few minutes to reflect on the following areas of your life and capture your answers on paper:
Personal Reflection:
- What habits do I have in place that are serving me that I want to continue?
- What habits are not serving me that I need to eliminate?
- What do I need to be at my best? (for example, 8.5 hours sleep, daily walking, quiet time)
- What personal successes or accomplishments have I implemented or experienced so far this year?
- What am I craving more of in my life?
Thinking about these areas, what are two or three personal goals you will focus on over the next six months?
Leadership Reflection:
- What are my top two or three accomplishments so far this year?
- What is working well?
- What is not working well?
- Goal check in: How have my team and I progressed towards our collective goals?
- Have I provided my team with the necessary resources, feedback, and support?
- Is there anyone on my team who is struggling, and what action do I need to take?
- How can I better inspire and engage my team in the second half of the year?
Thinking about these areas, what are two or three leadership goals you will focus on over the next six months?
Team Reflection:
If you lead a team, you can facilitate a mid-year reset conversation with your team members to realign and refocus your energy and effort.
- What is working well on the team?
- In what two areas do you feel the team has made the most significant progress or development?
- What is not working well on the team?
- What are the top two potential challenges or issues that could slow down success or results?
- What would make 2024 an outstanding year as a team? When you think forward to December 2024, what two or three measurable goals should the team focus on now that would make the most impact on the departments and organization’s success?
- What two adjustments would have the biggest impact on making 2024 even better?
Taking the time for a mid-year check-in or reset can be transformative for both leaders and their teams. Reflecting on past accomplishments and challenges provides valuable insights that inform future goals and strategies.
By resetting your priorities and realigning your goals, you ensure that your efforts are focused on what truly matters.
This period of reflection and realignment not only reinvigorates your commitment but also empowers your team to approach the remainder of the year with renewed energy and clarity.
I really love and enjoy this reading. Reading this I learned that when you speak out clearly you thoughts and ideas people see you as winner, because you are not afraid to go straight to the point.
Great article.....And happy belated birthday! Welcome to my world, young lady!
Whenever I have a work project that I keep putting off - I think about delegating that project to someone else - which accomplishes 2 things- it gets the project done and frees us my brain space thinking about it.
Good morning. I loved this read. Thank you so much for sharing. Sincerely, Melissa :)
Thank you for this blog Laurie. I liked most part and specially "As organizations have become more complex, there is a tendency to require employees to do more with less. This is a slippery slope, and often can result in employees feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. One of the biggest contributors to this is not evaluating resources during the strategic planning process." I will use this practice "A best practice is to do what I call Priority Planning—putting important practices on your calendar ahead of time so they become a priority in your day. Examples of activities to Priority Plan include scheduling recurring coaching sessions with each team member, time for strategic thinking and planning, vacations, doctor appointments, important children’s events, and blocks of time for focused work on projects." To be more effective, I will get a good rest so I can have enough energy in the morning. I will read the blog again along with the other links on employee evaluation. Thank you so much Laurie. Best wishes to you and your family.
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I love the feedback on the more than 50 hours of work. AND filling time. So true. Unfortunately, showing that you work longer hours is still seen as being a "hard worker" - not sure how to change that though.
I enjoyed the read. I concur that transitioning from technical skills to delegating results was a task within itself. I did not realize I was almost trying to do the same thing from my previous position, and it was not working. However, I am seeing the results of how delegating daily tasks makes my job and workload easier. Thank you, Laurie.
Thank you for sharing information about your trip Laurie! All 3 things resonate with me - probably #1 being the biggest. I know when I'm gone for a week, I'm still thinking about work and need a vacation when I get back because I did not relax enough. I think your idea of a longer vacation is definitely in my future!!
Hey Laurie, My take on your list - 1 - everyone has a story - listen 2- social media causes interpersonal problems 5- generational differences create hurdles / earn it you aren't entitled / we should help them get there not give it to them 6 AMEN some leaders I would have followed thru Hell, some I wish - well, you know 7- true BUT be as good as your word and 14- Hopefully we leave some good from our efforts, I know the good leaders I have had have. Seen a lot in my career but it really comes down to treat others the way you want to be treated, fair, honest, and straight forward. Good read. Take care
I love this so much and thank you so much for sharing! I really just love realizing that enjoying the simple things sometimes is the best! Also recognizing that what is important and fun to you may not be everyone else's fun on the on the trip. “Do we get to keep these toiletries?” was my favorite!!!! :):) Glad you had a great time and got to spend it with your family!
I very much resonate with lesson no 3! Thank you Laurie
I think the part that you might have missed in their top 5 things, some of which were not "Italian" or even different from home, all of them happened with you, both of you. And i think that is what they will remember too. And you've got tons of photos that will remind them of what the Sistine Chapel looked like - then they might remember what it sounded like or smelled like. Oh- and i agree with you 100% about sleep!
LOTS of great take-aways from this post! Thank you for posting! I especially love "slow down to speed up". That's a keeper!
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the not getting enough rest to be at my best. definitely need to get more quality sleep and make that a priority
It really is hard to narrow down the 3 lessons into one because they are all so interconnected. You need to give your mind and body THE TIME to relax SO THAT you can enjoy the SIMPLE THINGS, including REST. I enjoyed that lesson as a whole. I will take that lesson with me on my next vacation (or staycation). As always, thank you Laurie for your candor and for sharing your own lessons with others so that we too can benefit.
Great information and reminders
Laurie, Thank you for sharing your trip and these nuggets. The lessons that resonate most with me are it does take time to relax and getting proper rest. When you devote 15 plus hours of your day for work, taking care of home and others; the 6-7 hours you lay down does not cut it! For me during this time I'm trying to unwind and find myself thinking fighting not to think about what I have to do tomorrow. Even after I create a to do list for the next day...I find things I need to add. Taking a day off here and there doesn't cut it as well because of all the plans you have for that day. I try to make sure my Mental Health Days remains just that.... time for me to laugh, cry, scream.... whatever I need to release the cares and stress!
Really enjoyed the article... and all very true!
Since I was already well aware of #1 (I'm in the same boat with taking a long time to relax), I think I'm resonating most with #3. I'm learning to prioritize sleep / rest and it's been wonderful. Love that you said "I love sleep.". :)
Welcome back from vacation. Well deserve! Action is the key to success. Shoulder to shoulder, coaching and delegating task to help other employees grow are very important. It is a sacrifice that one must do. Forget about yourself and be with your team day in and out to help them grow, is not always easy. On the long run, your team is stronger, and you can depend on them for the success of the organization. Thank you so much!
So many great tips here, thank you!
I am so impressed you're able to disconnect and these are great tips I'll be sure to try on my next trip!
Such a great post - so inspiring!