Welcome to 2019.
There are a lot of things to look forward to in the new year and there is a lot of new all around us. It gives us the opportunity to develop new goals, and new goals require building skills to achieve them.
To help prepare, here are some ideas to get you started in the new year:
Development
- Start a list of areas you want to grow this year. Want to learn a new skill? Make a list of possible mentors or people you’d like to network and connect with.
- Set time up with those people and start building blocks into learning that desired skill.
- Search for training that might help you advance. Note them and make sure you use them in your development conversations with your manager to plan and expand your interest.
As a Team
- Have a clear understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities
- Focus on your business outcomes and discuss anticipated milestones
- Define ways that you can work better together and collaborate more
- Secure time to do volunteer work and team building
- Share updates and successes in new ways (video, live chats, etc.)
Innovation
- Jot down 1-3 pain points in your processes.
- After each one, write down the desired outcome. Would it be automated? Would you like to remove a layer to make the process more efficient? Is there a program that could significantly help speed up the process?
- As you work through the year on projects, check back on these and keep them in your mind. Think about ways you can take little steps to getting to the desired outcomes. It might feel like baby steps, but in the end, you might be able to fully transform the way you work.
- Give yourself time to innovate and talk about your ideas.
- Most importantly, don’t be afraid to innovate and don’t be afraid to bring new ideas to the organization.
Health
- Remember that work / life balance is a thing, a very important thing
- Look into your benefits and see if there are savings for taking care of yourself (Massage, therapy, etc.)
- Support yourself and support others
- Plan holiday time and commit to breaks to avoid burnout
Admin
- Clean your inbox (rejoice in seeing the clean white space in Outlook!)
- Organize desktop screen files
- Set-up files (such as OneNote, Box, folders, etc.)
- Plan for meetings and book them out to secure room, space, and time on calendars
We wish you all the best as you work towards your goals in 2019!