Question: At the beginning of a new year, what is the most important intention a leader should set to create the conditions for better relationships and performance?

Answer: At the beginning of a new year, leaders often return refreshed, optimistic, and focused on the promise of improved results and renewed momentum. Employees likewise re-enter the organisation with anticipation and hope for what lies ahead. Yet beneath this sense of renewal lies a more complex reality: the previous year often ends with incomplete initiatives, unfulfilled targets, partially delivered projects, and unresolved relationship dynamics. These residual pressures do not reset automatically on the calendar; they carry over into the new year unless addressed.

From a Legitimate Leadership (LL) perspective, the most essential intention a leader can set at the outset of a new year is to intentionally invest in the quality of relationships through emotionally mature, values-aligned leadership behaviour. This intention recognises that sustainable performance is not driven primarily by strategy or targets, but by the relational conditions leaders create. Intentional Relationship Building as a Leadership Discipline – Know Your People

Legitimate Leadership asserts that leadership effectiveness is rooted in “who the leader is being” not merely what the leader is doing. Accordingly, leaders are required to create deliberate space at the start of the year to focus on their immediate relationships, particularly with their direct reports. This involves carving out and scheduling intentional time for structured one-on-one meetings, not for task management, but for genuinely knowing one’s people.

A critical question for leaders to reflect on is: Do I truly know my people, not merely their roles, outputs, or performance metrics, but who they are as individuals? Legitimate Leadership does not require knowledge of the entire reporting structure, but it does require leaders to understand those they lead directly. This understanding includes what motivates them, what constrains them, what they value, and how they experience the workplace, i.e., what the leader needs to give them.

Such relational investment enables the leader to lead from a Care and Grow stance, a core LL principle. When leaders know their people, they are better positioned to give them what they genuinely need to grow, perform, and become empowered contributors to themselves and, consequently, to the organisation.

Trust as the Currency of Performance

Within the Legitimate Leadership model, trust is non-negotiable. Employees will not willingly give their discretionary effort, creativity, or commitment to a leader they do not trust. Trust, however, is not requested; it is earned through consistent, congruent behaviour. When a leader cares for and grows their people, they are trusted.

Leaders must therefore set a clear intention to be trustworthy. This requires behavioural integrity, doing what one says one will do, communicating honestly, walking the talk and demonstrating genuine care. LL is explicit that care cannot be performative. Fake concern or superficial relational gestures are quickly detected and are more damaging than disengagement. Sincerity is essential; without it, relationships deteriorate, and performance invariably suffers.

One-on-One Engagements as Vehicles for Growth and Accountability

Regular, structured one-on-one engagements are the primary mechanism for enacting this intention. In these conversations, leaders are called to engage at a human level, showing interest, listening deeply, and acknowledging the individual beyond their deliverables. Simultaneously, Legitimate Leadership does not dilute accountability. Care and performance are not opposites; they are mutually reinforcing.

Through these engagements, leaders should identify and follow through on the tools, support, training, and developmental opportunities required to enable growth over the coming year. This reinforces the LL principle that leaders are accountable for creating the conditions for others to succeed.

Clarifying Expectations and Walking Alongside Performance

Finally, leaders must intentionally co-create clarity around expectations for the year ahead. These expectations should be explicitly aligned to the organisational strategy and translated into meaningful, relatable contributions for everyone. When people understand what is required of them and why it matters, performance standards become shared commitments rather than imposed demands.

Legitimate Leadership further requires leaders to walk alongside their people, providing ongoing support, regular feedback, and timely course correction. This visible presence reinforces psychological safety and signals that accountability is a collective endeavour, not a punitive one.

In summary, the most critical intention a leader can set at the beginning of a new year is to consciously lead self and others through intentional relationship-building, grounded in trust, care, clarity, and accountability. Within the Legitimate Leadership framework, this intention establishes the emotional and relational conditions necessary for both healthier relationships and sustained organisational performance.