Yes I know~we've all seen these "Five Things" and "Five Ways" lists all over blog posts, but this one is different. Promise! Well, at the very least, I know these ideas will help you be a more effective manager...especially number one!
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1) Better Coffee in the Office: Listen, Folger’s was great for your parents and all, but in the office, isn’t it time for an upgrade? And please offer real cream along with the powdered stuff! (Have you seen what’s in the powdered creamer?)
Alright, so this isn’t really a completely serious resolution-but there are things you can do to show your people that you really do care about them, that may not cost as much money as you think-and coffee isn't a bad place to start! Remember, a happy office is a more productive office!
2) Read Two Professional/Personal Development Books This Year: One of the simplest things you can do to increase your effectiveness is to be mentored by some of the top leadership minds in the world … and you can do that by reading their books! I would recommend that you read one book in the first half of the year and another book in the second.
I’d also recommend that you pick up a journal and take notes, jot down thoughts, ideas, inspirations that arise from your reading.
Here are some books I love:
Winning with People-Discover the People Principles That Work For You Every Time-by John Maxwell
Monday Morning Mentoring-Ten Lessons to Guide You Up The Ladder by David Cottrell
Tuesdays With Morrie- by Mitch Albom
3) Set a Positive Tone When You Walk into the Office: Do you remember when you were just starting out that feeling you had when you knew the manager was coming into the office-and how the entire mood of the whole place could change instantly depending on the mood of your manager?
The same thing is happening today.
Your people watch how you enter the office and their mood can be determined by yours. After all, if the boss seems ticked off and angry, your people aren’t going to want to act like they’ve just won a trip to Disneyland. They’re going to sit at their desks, on pins and needles, wondering what they should do and how they should do it.
So regardless of your actual mood-when you walk in the office, greet everyone, smile, say, “It’s good to see you!” and then if you need to isolate yourself in the office for a little bit, go and do it so you don’t bring the whole office down.
4) Find Out What Drives and Motivates Every Member of Your Team: We are all driven by something-if you can figure out what truly motivates your people to get up in the morning and come to work, you can bring out the best in them. Incidentally, the motivation is probably not just the paycheck!
Schedule some coffee time with your team members, individually, and ask them what motivates them, what drives them, what makes the day rewarding or deflating, what do they want to do with their lives and how does their job tie in to their “big picture.”
5) ABC-Always Be Coaching: One of your most important functions is giving constant feedback and coaching to your associates. They want to do well…they really do! So when you see them doing something well, be sure to acknowledge it, both personally and publicly.
When someone’s actions need correcting, do it as soon as you can and do it in private! I know it’s not always a fun talk to have, but they will appreciate your doing it now, than telling them about it six months from now during their performance reviews.
What are some of your resolutions?
Alright, so this isn’t really a completely serious resolution-but there are things you can do to show your people that you really do care about them, that may not cost as much money as you think-and coffee isn't a bad place to start! Remember, a happy office is a more productive office!
2) Read Two Professional/Personal Development Books This Year: One of the simplest things you can do to increase your effectiveness is to be mentored by some of the top leadership minds in the world … and you can do that by reading their books! I would recommend that you read one book in the first half of the year and another book in the second.
I’d also recommend that you pick up a journal and take notes, jot down thoughts, ideas, inspirations that arise from your reading.
Here are some books I love:
Winning with People-Discover the People Principles That Work For You Every Time-by John Maxwell
Monday Morning Mentoring-Ten Lessons to Guide You Up The Ladder by David Cottrell
Tuesdays With Morrie- by Mitch Albom
3) Set a Positive Tone When You Walk into the Office: Do you remember when you were just starting out that feeling you had when you knew the manager was coming into the office-and how the entire mood of the whole place could change instantly depending on the mood of your manager?
The same thing is happening today.
Your people watch how you enter the office and their mood can be determined by yours. After all, if the boss seems ticked off and angry, your people aren’t going to want to act like they’ve just won a trip to Disneyland. They’re going to sit at their desks, on pins and needles, wondering what they should do and how they should do it.
So regardless of your actual mood-when you walk in the office, greet everyone, smile, say, “It’s good to see you!” and then if you need to isolate yourself in the office for a little bit, go and do it so you don’t bring the whole office down.
4) Find Out What Drives and Motivates Every Member of Your Team: We are all driven by something-if you can figure out what truly motivates your people to get up in the morning and come to work, you can bring out the best in them. Incidentally, the motivation is probably not just the paycheck!
Schedule some coffee time with your team members, individually, and ask them what motivates them, what drives them, what makes the day rewarding or deflating, what do they want to do with their lives and how does their job tie in to their “big picture.”
5) ABC-Always Be Coaching: One of your most important functions is giving constant feedback and coaching to your associates. They want to do well…they really do! So when you see them doing something well, be sure to acknowledge it, both personally and publicly.
When someone’s actions need correcting, do it as soon as you can and do it in private! I know it’s not always a fun talk to have, but they will appreciate your doing it now, than telling them about it six months from now during their performance reviews.
What are some of your resolutions?
