Find more meaning in your work in the new year by adopting the "Three Cs" of "community" -- feeling known and respected, "contribution" -- seeing the impact of your work and "challenge" -- identifying ways to grow and those who will support you, write Wes Adams and Tamara Myles, the co-authors of "Meaningful Work." They suggest practices to help cultivate these new habits, such as sharing stories with others, giving positive feedback to your team and complimenting a strength you see in others to encourage their growth.

Put it into practice: Stretch yourself by doing something just slightly outside of your comfort zone, like offering an idea in a meeting or taking on unfamiliar responsibilities, Adams and Myles suggest. "These small expansions build confidence over time."

It's good to get your teams out of their comfort zone, but the goals you set for them can become toxic if you don't provide the necessary resources, frequently change them or team members feel criticized, no matter how hard they work to achieve them, writes leadership development expert Tim Jackson. Focus instead on fewer, bolder goals and provide team members with the resources and encouragement they need to reach them, Jackson advises.

Put it into practice: If you want to give your team more challenging stretch goals, shorten the time horizon, Jackson advises. "If you can see the finish line, anything feels possible. 100-day plan, anyone?"

With AI taking over many writing chores such as email and reports, you can make your communications sound more human by imagining how you might explain something to a friend, or record yourself talking through what you want to say and make your behavior consistent with what you communicate, say several expert speakers and writers. "Mass blasts can feel distant, but messages grounded in an actual relationship sound specific, responsive and personal," writes Jess Zafarris.

Put it into practice: If you want to use AI to help you write, create a style guide to personalize tools like ChatGPT to mimic your writing style and tone, says Stephanie Paterik, editor in chief at The Trade Desk. A style guide, Paternik says, "sets strict guardrails around how strong writing is formed and how ideas flow, so the output stays clear and intentional."

Time has named YouTube CEO Neal Mohan as CEO of the Year, recognizing his leadership in navigating the challenges of the media industry, his approachability to creators and his strategic initiatives, including the NFL Sunday Ticket deal and the introduction of AI-powered tools for content creation. Under Mohan's guidance, YouTube has solidified its position as a dominant force in the media industry, with notable growth in viewership, advertising revenue, and subscriptions. Mohan said that in the early days, YouTube was like a village where everyone knew each other, but today "YouTube is like a metropolis with lots of interconnected dependencies, and what you do on one street impacts what happens on another street."

Amid the floats and marching bands at the recent annual Christmas parade in Gatlinburg, Tenn., a black bear took time to stroll the parade route and even helped clean up afterward by feasting on trash left behind. Parade attendee Amanda Snook-Paige snapped some photos of the bear and joked that he was so popular with spectators that organizers "should've made him the grand marshal."

Once upon a time, I was a Weight Watchers leader. I had successfully lost a lot of weight on the program, and when the opportunity came to lead meetings (and get paid to do so), I took it. Every year, I watched as people made New Year's resolutions to lose weight. In January, the meeting rooms were packed with new faces. By March, we were back to our hardcore, much smaller groups.

Studies show that only 8-10% of resolution makers actually achieve their goals by the end of the year. That's because we most often focus on results (losing weight) instead of the process or the actions we need to take, such as exercising and changing our eating habits.

This focus on the actions we take, rather than the results, is the core of the "Three Cs" that Wes Adams and Tamara Myles outline in their article. "Being a better leader" is an outcome-focused goal, but "creating more meaning for myself and my team" is an action-based goal.

Adams and Myles recommend creating meaning by focusing on community, contribution and challenge. To build community, make those on your team feel genuinely welcomed. That could mean greeting them by name with warmth, sharing a brief personal story or asking them about their weekend -- and listening deeply to their answer.

Highlight contributions by taking the time to give specific, positive feedback to your team. Say something like, "I noticed how you handled that customer call -- you really turned the situation around!" Or, pause during the week and ask yourself what you've done to make someone else's day better.

Then, challenge yourself to do things that are even a tiny bit outside of your comfort zone, such as volunteering for a responsibility you've never tackled before or speaking up more in meetings. You can also encourage those around you to stretch by pointing out the potential you see in them.

The Three Cs are small, everyday habits that help 2026 be more energizing, more human, and, yes, more fun. So this year, skip the unrealistic resolutions and focus on being a little more connected, a little more impactful and a little more courageous -- one tiny step at a time.

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