Boss Resolutions for 2006

Boss Resolutions for 2006 from Leadership. Now.
by Don Blohowiak

1. Give credit where credit is due.

Promise to never, ever take credit for work actually done by a colleague. Go out of your way to make sure that the credit for a job well done is clearly conferred on your deserving associate.

2. Spend time with each of your direct reports every week.

And spend at least a few minutes on non-task, even personal, matters. To make sure that you are really doing it, keep track on a simple written record. Don't trust your impression. Spending time with people is the best use of your managerial time. Period.

3. Provide helpful developmental feedback -- outside specific job task performance.

— outside specific job task performance — to your direct reports. Everyone is more than their current job description. Show an interest in each individual's development. Help them to identify their own growth goals and then do what you can to help them achieve them. Even if that means you are enabling them to outgrow their current duties (or even your operation).

4. Winnow your priorities list.

so your colleagues know with certainty what's most important for them to apply their precious time and resources. Remember, you can always keep great ideas on the "at another time" list.

5. Base assessments of your associates' job performance on direct observation and documented evidence.

Don’t assess based on your general impressions, others’ comments, or a whim on the day that a performance appraisal is due. Make sure you have real standards against which you are assessing performance — and that your associates are aware of and understand them. That makes discerning great performance from mediocrity — or worse — much easier. And much more valid.

6. Take a stand against unacceptable performance.

by your associates. Get lagging performers up to speed or on to another outlet for their talents. Your staff won't be demoralized by your tough love, they'll thank you.

7. Ask before telling.

Enroll your associates in your collective work by getting them to invest their experience and thinking. Ask what Marilee Adams terms learning questions (rather than judging questions). Asking your associates to contribute does engage them.

And “employee engagement” is way more than a catchy buzz phrase. It's an easy, no-cost way to improve productivity, quality, and overall performance.

8. Have some good-natured fun.

Find opportunities to laugh at yourself. Work does not have to be solemn. And it usually goes a lot better with more levity and less gravitas.

9. Get some unvarnished feedback about yourself.

Find one or two habits that annoy others to eliminate from your repertoire in 2006. You probably already know what those are. If you have a multi-rater (360-degree) feedback review tucked away somewhere, dust it off and re-read it. No matter how long ago you received it, some of the constructive criticisms still apply. Now, take those observations to heart and do something affirmative with that feedback. If you don't have such feedback at hand, just ask. If you’re earnest, people will tell you what you need to know.

10. Take time off to refresh and recharge.

Not just time away from the office where you are working remotely, but real time away where you are not checking email and voicemail or getting documents delivered. If, after taking a real vacation, you return to work but can no longer find the joy in your work, get about the business of finding new work. Life is too short to spend most of your waking hours in quiet misery.