...or New Year's resolutions - tips on how you can actually achieve them as a manager.
I want to visit home again in January. So off to Austria. By car? No, quite comfortably by train. The first decisions have been made. Good. Next step: order and pay for train tickets online. Then either print them out or access them on your cell phone via the app. But from the moment the basic decision is made, things really get going: Departure in? Ok - of course: Ulm. Arrival station: Vienna - also clear? No: I have lots of options: Vienna Central Station, Vienna Meidling, Vienna Praterstern etc. etc. etc. Which travel day is the best for me, my family, my friends and my job? Then there are the many different times when a train (if it runs) departs. The slower and cheaper connection or the faster and slightly more expensive one? Ey, the economy option Europe even offers the surcharge on 1st class travel for just 10 euros. A bargain. Great, women are happy and go for it!
What does my trip have to do with New Year's resolutions for managers? As a boss, it is important to keep the focus on a primary TARGET situation:
That's why every executive needs a crystal clear goal in mind. Ideally an irresistible mission as to why the goal should definitely be achieved.
My mission: a reunion with my family, my children, my friends. My heart pulls me
irresistibly to my favorite people back home. I want to spend quality time with them and enjoy being together.
My goal: to visit my home in eastern Austria in the new year.
In my job as a mentor for junior managers, I very often find that clear, measurable goals are lacking or are not communicated clearly and consistently at management level. Sometimes the information channels are hopelessly clogged and lack of clarity leads to resentment on both sides. Displeasure. Unfinished tasks. Frustration. Avoidable mistakes. Excessive demands. Demotivation. Burnout. Days of absence. Resignation. So my recommendation at the turn of the year: use the magical January 1st to set SMART goals for yourself and your team. Namely: Specific, Measurable, Accepted, Realistic and Timed. Take 10 minutes and think about it now:
- What are your SMART goals for your company? Your department? Your team for 2024? Are they already set? Or should you take a few more minutes to define the goals, your mission and your vision for everyone to see?
- Are ALL team members actually informed about the specified goals and the figures to be achieved? Does everyone know the best way to get there and what is necessary to actually achieve these goals?
All too often, many managers try to do everything themselves:
And they struggle with overflowing work. Unattainable milestones and deadlines. Sure, it's sometimes quite difficult to give up control and trust the team to find a great solution for the task at hand themselves. Delegation is the magic word here. Use SMART goals to make planned and mutually rewarding delegation a TARGET situation in the new year. Think about who in your team has which strengths.
- What can you delegate?
- What should you do yourself?
- How should the team be trained?
- What deadlines should be set as milestones?
- What is the safest way to monitor the desired result?
- What measures should be implemented to ensure that mishaps and errors can be reported and eliminated at an early stage on the way to the solution?
How do I delegate during my journey?
I let myself be driven. My driver? The driver. I can relax and open my laptop during the train journey and work on my next article for Galvanotechnik. I don't arrive exhausted and annoyed after traffic jams and uncleared highways in winter on the 600 km journey to Vienna. I trust the German and Austrian railroads to do a good job despite all the prophecies of doom. And that they will get me to my destination safely and on time.
Admittedly: Sometimes I have to rush on my journeys to catch the connecting train. Or I make a conscious decision to take the next one. Which brings us to the next topic: Making a crystal-clear decision and taking responsibility for it.
But that's a new topic for another article in Galvanotechnik ...
I wish you a great start to the New Year with a focus on an irresistible mission and great, worthwhile goals for 2024!
