The holidays are over and most of us are hard at work again. You may (or may not) be sticking to your New Year's resolutions. Be that as it may, I'd like to suggest some Mid-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.
