This time of year is great for reflecting. As a leader, it’s important that you wind business down for the holidays and preserve some time for yourself to think and to recharge.
Maybe you’ll do that thinking while you’re looking at the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree after everyone else has gone to bed. Or when you’re watching the flames flicker on a log in the fireplace. These are ideal times to reflect on what you accomplished in the past 360-some days, and what you want to accomplish in the coming year.
Part of this thought process for leaders is to consider carefully how we are leading our teams and our people. What did we do right in 2014, and how do we want to build on that for 2015? What is the image of leadership that we want to project?
Dr. Tara Swart discusses how neuroscience can be applied to leadership and be used by managers today. Put this book on your 2015 reading: 
One of the elements of the cultural difference between Europe and China is the importance that is given to relationships. In the West you would assume the importance to be the same, but there is a significant distinction. In China, connections with the right people help you to get things done, to survive and to succeed. Whereas in the West content is predominant, in China the way people interact with each other strongly influences the working environment. ‘Face’ and long-term effects are taken into consideration.
