Monday, January 5, 2009

Resolutions for Teams to Keep

For some of us, resolutions are like promises – they’re made to be broken. But now more than ever, with almost everything going downhill, you need a team that can keep it together and make it work. Believe me when I say that now also more than ever, you word is your bond. And if you say you’re going to do something, you had better make sure that you get it don. Resolutions are the best way to go.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, manager or executive, the responsibility for the success of your organization falls on your shoulders; it takes everyone to pull through -- but the burden is not yours alone. You need to enlist the team to help.

So here they are: 10 New Year's Resolutions and discussion topics -- suggestions you can offer your team to guide them toward a higher level of productivity:

1. I will work smarter. Can you identify three things you can do to be more efficient and effective in your current job? Is your staff spending too much time on email, for example? Too much time returning phone calls? Does it interrupt their work too frequently?

2. I will increase my working network in and out of my immediate area and inside and outside my company. Can you encourage your staff to get to know more people? Can you meet more people not just to say hello, but to find out what they do, how they do it and what skills they use to be productive? Let them know about your traits, abilities and interests, too.

3. I will find three things that I can do to make myself irreplaceable. Why should the company continue to employ you? Why are you good at what you do? Does the company know this? What else should the company know about you?

4. I will find ways to get along better with my boss and colleagues. Manage upward. If your boss is not managing you well enough or to your liking, then find positive, non-complaining ways to change this situation so that you are able to share your views with him or her.

5. I will join at least one company-wide task force or committee. Do people outside of your immediate group, team or unit know your capabilities, interests and skills? Do you know what is happening in other sectors of our company? Do you know the challenges and opportunities faced by people elsewhere in our organization?

6. I will join a professional organization in my area. Life and work are about growing and developing yourself. What have you done for yourself lately? Have you met like-minded colleagues who share some of your hopes, dreams and goals? Do not miss this important opportunity to learn more about your profession while increasing the breadth and depth of your networking circle.

7. I will take a job-related self-improvement seminar. Are there new techniques, tools and concepts that you need to know about to constantly make yourself into a more important and irreplaceable employee? When is the last time you stimulated your own thinking and gained new perspectives on your job and future? A seminar may very well be the stimulus you need to re-energize yourself and increase your job satisfaction.

8. I will develop four goals to help me grow and develop as a more achievement-oriented employee. Stagnation is the kiss of death in today's corporate economy, where layoffs and downsizing occur daily. So, think seriously about what you can do to be more achievement-oriented in addition to taking a seminar and joining a professional group.

9. I will evaluate my personal contribution to this organization. List three strengths and three limitations to your overall progress. Identify ways to improve on all six, including what you will need from your direct supervisor or other administrators to help move you along the roadway to success.

10. I will try to improve my relationship with at least one person with whom I do not get along. Take the initiative; meet with him or her and discuss the issues, whether overt or subtle, that prevent you from having positive interactions. Remember that your goal as an employee is to make the best of your talents, create synergies with colleagues and increase the productivity and effectiveness of the company. A clear deterrent to those tasks are problematic people relations.

How can you minimize that obstacle to success?

Have a happy and healthy new year.

2 Comments:

At January 6, 2009 at 11:44 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like this blog statements and I will look out for the the 10 top resolutions abided by the teams.

 
At January 22, 2009 at 5:09 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Promises made is only applicable with real action...

 

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