Your Management Resolutions for the New Year

As the New Year dawns today it’s the perfect time to make resolutions for your management life in the next 12 months. Not that it should need to wait this long, for improvement and resolve is a 24x7x365 days process. But just as you work as hard throughout the month only to be paid on the first of the next month so yes, there are certain dates; whereby, you can become more resolute about what you want to do and to plan ahead.

As Jack Nicholson says to Helen Hunt in the movie As Good As It Gets: “You make me want to be a better man”, so you can think about starting today in wanting to become a better manager, a better leader and a better team man. You can be proud of what you have achieved or been through in 2022 and throughout your corporate career but there’s always that one aspect you want to work on, maybe more. And what better time to start than on the first day of the New Year.

I am sure each one of you has specific goals you want to list this year and resolutions you would want to make to achieve them, here are a few that you can think of adopting:

Learn a new skill

No matter how old you are or how specialised, learn a new skill. If you are not well-versed with the digital age, then getting to the grips with a virtual skill is ideal, as remote working becomes the norm than the exception.

Even in the physical workplace, there are now apps and software without which your productivity is at a discount and you just cannot keep pace with your colleagues. Learn to work on the phone and maximise the use of its features.

Maximise the usage of time

It is a cultural trait in Pakistani companies that we waste a lot of time in office on the matters not even indirectly related to our work or task at hand. This year tell yourself that in office time you won’t open all your WhatsApp messages, only those that affect your work for that day or week. That you won’t Google out of curiosity regarding anything you have heard in loose talk. In fact avoid that loose talk totally. Ok maybe a few minutes to take your mind off any stressful or tiring task but no social media browsing, no distractions that delay your tasks for the day and make you sit late.

Have work-life balance

If you maximise the usage of your time, then you will be able to maintain this balance. Talk to your boss, tell him/her what your plan is and that as you will not waste time in office you will leave on time to go to the gym, play squash or reach home early to spend time with your family.

Praise whenever you can

That does not mean you have been an Unca Scrooge all this time. But even if you are a team man go out and praise everyone from the peon to your colleague at work; even anyone from the vendor. Spread the spirit of happiness and gratitude and appreciation.

Praise does not have to be overboard. A light tap on the shoulder blade goes a long way although a couple of lines email praising someone to achieve or accomplish a difficult task always raises the morale. The person you write to does not necessarily have to be under you. However, avoid writing praises for your seniors. That can be misconstrued; just let them know in passing you appreciate what they have done or accomplished.

Become more flexible

Not just because it is the work norm now but also because it actually helps in productivity. Yes, there are assembly line issues but try to be more empathetic this year. You have to become flexible in managing people also. The majority are going through tough economic times and even white collar compensations are not keeping pace with inflation. It is going to get tougher, as the year progresses. Be more forgiving this year. Since financial models are just not making sense now and salaries cannot be increased have a more flexible attitude to the problems the team members bring up. If you are one of them already you can understand. What is tough for you may be tougher for the others.

Pause to reflect

The year 2022 has brought about tremendous challenges and this post-pandemic period has made us rush into work even more to overcompensate what we have lost in productivity over the two years. This has resulted in pressure to make up for the lost time and has not given us any time to reflect on where we are going and where we want to be. The economic mess has also limited our options. Nevertheless, pause more when chasing the clock. Think of what you want to achieve. Do what makes you happy whenever that opportunity arises.

If you have to talk to yourself this year. Sometimes, hearing voices through the ear rather than in the mind helps more. Reevaluate your options and your journey. And be ready to change.

Celebrate More

We are living in tough times. We need bursts of happiness to keep us going. As such, make it a habit this year to enjoy the successes, no matter how small they are and whether they are limited to you individually or to your team or to your company.

That monthly target you have achieved (even though you fear the quarterly target is getting difficult) — order a small cake and cut it with your team. If someone has had a baby get together for a baby shower. Call for doughnuts if Pakistan wins a game. Tell yourself you will celebrate whenever there is the smallest opportunity. It makes the tough times get easier.

Don’t avoid the difficult conversation

Make it one of the firmest resolutions of this year. We shy away from it often whether it is telling a gung-ho executive that s/he is still not delivering, despite the confident persona or the sad one, mostly depressed who’s bringing down the enthusiasm in the department. This year tell yourself you will embrace the challenge of having that difficult conversation. Tell yourself you won’t linger on it and result in the employee having to be fired. Or the team not meeting its targets.

Listen to everyone

Yes, we have our favourites with whom we listen to more because we have a comfort level with them. But this year tell yourself you will listen to your worst critics too. In fact tell yourself you will go to them yourself this year and ask for an advice. Often, we can learn a lot more from our critics and improve quicker.

Yes, tell yourself that in 2023 you will be braver and bolder; more empathetic and flexible; above all a more improved version of yourself.

(The writer is a corporate consultant and coach and former CEO with over 35 years of experience in leadership, building brands and organisational strategy. He now advises on business strategy, marketing, HR and media management)