The run-up to the New Year is a time for reflection; for quiet self-congratulation on milestones achieved or for learning the lessons that tough challenges can bring. It’s also a time for looking forward, for working on the strategy and values that will ensure continued success into 2017.

And there’s no getting away from the fact that 2017 is already shaping up to be an interesting year. With Brexit and the Trump effect looming on the horizon, it’s a brave leader that would predict completely smooth sailing over the forthcoming twelve months. However, whilst uncertainty and ambiguity bring great challenges they can also usher in an era of great opportunity.

Preparing for 2017

So how do we prepare for 2017? Do we retrench or look for expansion, do we re-imagine the strategy or seek to strengthen relationships with customers, employees and investors that will help us to steer safely around the rocks and whirlpools of fate? Well possibly, but before we do any of that it may well be time to designate 2017 as the year in which we reconnect with ourselves.

The trouble is that as leaders it is all too easy to get sucked in to managing the day-to-day, in the process losing sight of purpose and meaning.  But, as leadership researchers Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner point out, when the going gets tough those who thrive are the leaders who retain a strong sense of control, believing they can beneficially influence direction and outcome and being committed to the worth of whatever they do.

In order to do that it is important that leaders are not only aware of their values and guiding principles but also live them every day. And just as leadership is an ongoing journey, staying true to the principles of great leadership requires an ongoing reconnection and re-evaluation. Quite simply, leaders model the way for others and unless a leader is connected with their own purpose and is in control of their own performance and development they are not going to be able to deliver the level of effective leadership which others require.

Reconnect with yourself

So with 2017 rapidly approaching, what can leaders do in order to prepare themselves to lead effectively in potentially turbulent times? First and foremost it’s time to reconnect with yourself. This starts with being clear about personal values and strengths, drawing on them every day in order to increase your own confidence, morale and motivation. It also starts with learning to be kind to yourself; evaluating your eating, sleeping and exercise patterns to ensure optimum performance and practising techniques which will help you to manage stress and unwind at the end of each day.

But great leadership doesn’t happen in isolation so take time now to identify the people who can support you both in and outside work and consider how to strengthen those relationships. Work with your people in order to celebrate and learn from success and also to see failure as a learning opportunity rather than as a cause for censure. And look to actively develop the leadership potential of those around you. Not only does this help to share the load, working with others to develop their leadership skills helps leaders to reconnect with their own leadership skills and purpose.

What will 2017 bring? In times when the only certainty is uncertainty, great leaders who are connected with their purpose step up, take control and deliver engagement and results.