The holiday season is almost over, and New Year’s Eve is just around the corner. Every year we make a long list of resolutions for ourselves hoping for better results. But that’s on the personal front. What about the professional side of things?
You can also make resolutions on the professional front. These resolutions are geared towards all the managers out there, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t create your own list, based on what you work as.
I Will Appreciate Good Work
Did you know that a small act of appreciation can motivate employees for months? This New Year, make a promise to yourself that you will appreciate all the deserving members on your team, as and when is necessary.
If employees do not feel valued, their performance is affected. This in turn affects the whole organization. Appreciation is the key, stick to it. It might be a challenge for some managers who don’t usually appreciate their employees but one way of being comfortable with giving and receiving appreciation is to make it a part of your everyday life. The appreciation should be specific and individual in order for it to have a positive effect on your team.
Also read: Employee Recognition – The Art Of Gratitude
I Will Involve Employees In Goal Setting Process
The goal setting process is one of the most vital things that contribute to organizational success. This process involves analyzing various perspectives and making important decisions for the company.
Many managers think that employees don’t contribute anything to the goal setting process when they are involved in it. But it is important to understand that it is employees who are actually responsible for meeting goals set by their managers
When you involve your employees in goal setting process, you can set goals based on an employee’s skills and strengths. Additionally, this will also make your employees feel more personally invested in the organization’s success.
Also read: How To Write Good Employee Goals And Objectives
I Will Create An Engaging Workplace
Employee engagement is the key to any team that performs the best in an organization. Employees are not always motivated by material bonuses. As we have mentioned above, when employees are undervalued and underappreciated, they are not motivated or engaged.
An engaging workplace is one where employees are enthusiastic about coming to work every day, where the environment is welcoming of ideas, where employees have the freedom to discuss and dissect their work, etc.
Also read: 5 Employee Engagement Activities On Budget
I Will Give Feedback To My Team More Often
Most managers trivialize the importance of frequent feedback, while it is one of the strongest tools that they can use to get better results from their teams.
However, it might be hard to give frequent feedback, when you just aren’t used to the process. And as with all processes, one way to get better at giving feedback is to simply make a habit of giving it.
So, this year resolve to make feedback a regular part of your conversations with your team members.
Also read: 6 Rules For Giving Excellent Employee Feedback
I Will Improve Communication With My Team
Communication is very important for every organization. Many projects fail because of ineffective communication. As a manager, you should be able to communicate effectively with your team.
Many problems occur in teams when you fail to communicate what you want your team members to do. Communication simply means saying what you have to, in a clear and concise manner.
I Will Invest In Training My Team
It is important for employees to keep themselves up to date with changing work processes. While managers do train new employees, they often forgot that existing employees too need help with refreshing their skills.
When employees have no avenues or opportunities where they can improve their existing skill sets, they will struggle to perform as expected. This year, make a promise to yourself, to invest in training and developing your existing team members and actually follow through on that promise.
I Will not Play Favorites
While most managers deny playing favorites, they might unconsciously favor some employees. There might be various reasons for this, one being that some employees are easier to manage or simply that you get along better with some employees because of shared interests etc.
However, playing favorites (even unconsciously) can have a negative impact on the entire team. It can kill morale and make employees feel resentful. As a manager, it is your responsibility to be fair to all your team members. This New Year, resist the temptation to play favorites. Your team will thank you for it.
I Will Allow Employees To Work Flexibly
Sometimes, you need to let your employees work the way they want to. You cannot micro-manage your employees by forcing them to work for longer hours or overseeing their every move. This causes a very unhealthy workplace environment. Give employees the freedom to work in a way that they find comfortable. Everybody has their own pace and style of working and a good manager knows, understands that and encourages that.
If you want to know how Engagedly can help you improve performance management at your organization, Request a demo today!
Author
Srikant Chellappa
CEO & Co-Founder of Engagedly
Srikant Chellappa is the Co-Founder and CEO at Engagedly and is a passionate entrepreneur and people leader. He is an author, producer/director of 6 feature films, a music album with his band Manchester Underground, and is the host of The People Strategy Leaders Podcast. He is currently working on his next book, Ikigai at the Workplace, which is slated for release in the fall of 2024.