2017 stretches out before us all with new possibilities and many challenges. How will you make it a successful year for your organization, for your employees and for yourself? Here are some tips:
- Offer Coaching and Mentoring
Identify one of your employees who showed promise in 2016 and commit yourself to offer coaching and mentoring to that person in the first quarter of 2017. Likely your offer will be accepted eagerly. Focus on important tasks, especially ones that will make their year successful. Coaching can make all the difference to their short and long-term performance and impact on the organization. Ask yourself, “Who else on my leadership team can offer mentoring (link to article, David) to junior level people?” To complement your efforts, consider engaging us to provide the valuable outside perspective. See our approach to coaching.
- Express Gratitude
Think about a colleague who helped you or your staff in 2016. Get clear about the specific benefit of their effort. Before another week goes by, contact them and express appreciation. (In childhood, we were all taught to say thanks!) Be specific about what they did and how their effort made a difference to you and your group. Examples may include meeting the needs of a customer in a creative way, skillfully handling a sensitive issue with a colleague, or solving a long-standing problem.
- Get Organized
Take a good look at your work space. What is cluttering it up and reducing your focus? Spend one hour this week doing nothing but sorting, discarding, delegating and straightening. Then step back, look at what you have accomplished. Take a deep breath and know that you have enhanced your ability to concentrate and get important work done! See our article on mindfulness, “The Potent Pause.”
These are some ideas that can help you get off to a positive start and make 2017 a successful year for your organization, for your employees and for yourself. What else needs your attention? Now take the first steps.
Good wishes!
For more information, contact Vogel/Glaser & Associates, info@vogelglaser.com or call 410-730-9590. Judy and David have been providing customized executive coaching and organization change consulting services for a combined 60 years.
