3 challenges CEOs must meet going into the new year

Inspiring others is more complicated than it sounds, but it's a vital skill for a leader -- one best gained through a lead-by-example and buck-stops-here mentality, writes James Nelson, head of Avison Young's tri-state investment sales group in New York City. Putting in the same hours as your colleagues, reaching out to them first and ensuring you're always available can help turn team members into team players, Nelson says.

Put it into practice: Acknowledge any mistakes, help others in their quest to the top and ensure your "we" never turns into "I," Nelson advises. "By keeping a collective mindset, the accomplishments can be credited to your entire team."

Good leaders are constantly evolving, discarding old ways of doing and thinking, shedding leaders who no longer fit their organization and elevating those who can take them into the future, says Mark McClain, the founder and CEO of SailPoint Technologies. "And it shouldn't always be me coming to that conclusion. I would encourage people to sometimes come to that conclusion themselves," McClain says.

If you've spent time googling such terms as "Barbenheimer" or searched for information on the "war in Israel and Gaza" or the death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry or the ill-fated Titan submersible, you're not alone -- those are some of the top items we all searched this year, according to Google. Sports figures garnered searches too, including Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest during an NFL game, and Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce, mainly because of his famous girlfriend, Taylor Swift.

The new year is almost upon us (can you believe it?), which means it's time to review what worked this year in your leadership tool bag and what didn't. It's time to get clear on our purpose (both personally and professionally) and make sure we have the right team with us to create new possibilities and success in the next year.

What are you doing to prepare for the new year? What old ways are you shedding? What new strategies are you planning? Tell me about it!

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