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How to begin each month on a positive note
Things will happen to you over the next month. You can wait for them to happen, you can just let them happen or you can make them happen. If you want to change your professional or personal life for the better, you must start with resolve and determination. The following resolutions are provided to help you improve the way you function as a manager. Refer to them at the start of each month and decide which you will focus on. How determined are you to improve?
1. Upgrade your professionalism.
Take responsibility for your own learning and development:
- Read two journals this month.
- Read one book this month.
- Contribute in some way to my professional association.
- Attend a seminar or course, and get involved.
- Improve my technology skills and know-how in some way.
- Write an item for a professional journal, newsletter, or newspaper.
2. Improve the way you work.
When you can't work any harder or longer, working smarter is the only other option. Streamline the way you work:
- At the start of each week, set goals to be achieved by week's end.
- Plan each day by completing a daily to-do list.
- Keep each telephone call to a minimum.
- Make a determined effort to handle each piece of paper no more than twice.
- Be aware of any act of procrast-ination - and bite the bullet!
- Be on time for every meeting and prepare myself beforehand to make a worthwhile contribution.
- Ask myself often - 'Is this the best use of my time and energy?'
- Become a better delegator - by doing it right.
- Be aware of every interruption. Can I do something about this?
- Focus on one thing each day that requires of me a special 110% effort.
3. Improve your relationships.
Do your best to get on well with other people and your managerial task will be much simpler:
- Make the effort to remember the name of each new person I meet.
- Catch at least three employees a day doing something right, and praise them accordingly.
- Work at eliminating a personal mannerism or habit that annoys others or hampers my effectiveness.
- Show a special interest in the work and life of three colleagues during the coming month.
- Act consistently in ways I believe to be fair and ethical.
- Say thank you more often.
- Defuse any grudge or hostility I have with a colleague or worker.
- Do one special thing this month to make this environment a better place for others to work in.
