New Year’s Resolutions for the Business Professional
By Kim Robling
It is now a few weeks into January and everyone has returned to work from the holidays with a fresh perspective and ideas for prospering in the New Year. Personal resolutions have been a hot topic of conversation as we look to improve upon life from the previous year. While the most popular resolutions include losing a few pounds, quitting a bad habit, or making an effort to spend more time with family, it is also important to consider goals that develop and prepare us for the challenges we face in leadership roles at work, as this is the place we spend the majority of our time. Creating easy-to-implement resolutions can help you become a better leader and advance at work, while also improving your quality of life. For the rest of 2013 we propose resolutions that keep your followers in mind, as the team behind the leader is a necessary component of success.
Set goals. At the beginning of the New Year gather your workforce and decide on what goals you would like to achieve for your organization. Fewer, higher impact goals are better than sheer volume of goals. Inspire and motivate your team to do their individual part to contribute to the organization’s overall success. Leadership comes down to how we positively influence people on their life journey. When people are inspired and motivated to achieve a result that seems beyond their grasp, the likelihood of achieving that goal is much greater.
Improve communication. A well informed team works more efficiently. Communication is more than just talking; actions speak loudly, so improve upon both verbal and nonverbal communication. Set up a time once a week where your employees can come together to discuss what they are working on, how goals are being met, and what can be done in the weeks ahead. By letting everyone know how they fit into the big picture, they can understand the impact that their job has on the organization. Keep your team constantly updated and encourage an open door policy.
Innovate. Be a more effective innovator by championing change. Enable innovation at the point of behavior so that the employee’s objective is not always to just maintain the status quo. Problem solving by further fostering diversity and inclusion moves the organization towards achieving its goals, and your motivated and engaged employees are helping to get it there. Taking note of new efficiencies and wins will help create a habit pattern of successful action, but be sure to also make note of the things that weren’t a success. With change comes failure; let your employees know that getting knocked down is inevitable but learning from these blows will create greater knowledge and resiliency.
Create a healthy ethos and culture. An average person spends 30% of their life at work so it would only make sense to create a culture where people don’t fret returning to everyday. Your employees will thrive in an environment where they have a sense of belonging. When employees are engaged and celebrated for their work and accomplishments they will take pride and ownership for not only their work but the organization as well. The underlying sentiment of ownership of the organization will make employees want to maintain what they have built as it deeply a part of them.
Make time to celebrate. It’s a fresh new year with new opportunities to let your hard work and determination shine. While determination, hard work, competency, and drive are all important factors in success, taking time to celebrate a job well done is just as vital to maintaining a high-performing team. A little celebration here and there can do wonders for employee morale and engagement.
While resolutions aren’t meant to be conquered in a day we encourage you to practice continuous improvement through small steps. Or as the great basketball coach John Wooden said, “When you do little things each day, eventually big things occur.”
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