The holidays are upon us and it's time to start thinking about some New Year's resolutions for the workplace in 2008.
I RESOLVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY OWN CAREER SUCCESS
1. I will be a voracious learner, soaking up knowledge, skills, and wisdom in formal and informal training opportunities.
2. I will seize opportunities to build relationships with others by focusing on what I can do for them, not what they can do for me.
3. I will get lots of valuable work done very well and very fast, every day.
4. I will adopt a customer service mindset in my dealings with customers, vendors, coworkers, managers, and direct reports.
5. I will work hard to improve my listening skills; listen more than I talk; and choose my words very carefully.
6. I will stay in touch with my priorities, regularly set clear goals and deadlines for myself, and make productive use of my time and energy.
7. I will be a model of integrity.
8. Every day, I will eat and drink healthfully, get enough sleep, exercise, and stay away from toxins; my body is the only physical plant Me, Inc. will ever have.
I RESOLVE TO GET BETTER AT MANAGING PEOPLE
1. I will tackle my fear of having difficult conversations with the people I manage.
2. I will spend time regularly with the people I manage to help them think through assignments up front, anticipate resource needs, avoid potential problems, and provide ongoing guidance.
3. I will try to do as much as I can for every employee--make a custom deal for every person to give him or her more of what he or she needs or wants--but only in exchange for consistently meeting ambitious goals and deadlines.
4. I will hold accountable all the employees I manage every step of the way for keeping their commitments and delivering high performance.
5. I will provide regular constructive feedback and coaching for every person I manage.
6. I will reward good performance, and nothing else.
7. I will not be intimidating, mean, or abusive.
