A new year, a new beginning.
Inevitably, with the change of the calendar comes the almost irresistible urge to make New Year’s resolutions. The problem is that for most of us, they rarely are resolutions that govern the entire year. Rather, they are more along the lines of a little wishful thinking for the first few weeks days of the new year.
With that reality in mind, it might be prudent for me to refrain from suggesting that we make even one resolution, but the optimist in me persists. So I’ll try again this year. However, to maximize our chances for success, let’s keep things simple. Just answer the following question:
What one action could you take in 2011 that would meaningfully improve your work?
- Refocus your strategy?
- Add or remove one particular responsibility?
- Pull the plug on an underperforming project or work relationship?
- Be in closer touch with your clients?
- Rethink your business model?
To be honest, I’d love to do all the above in 2011. However, that’s really too big a bite to chew. Even with the best intentions in the world, tackling all of these at once is likely to result in an undigested mess. Since I want to move from wishful thinking to a better reality, I need a more limited approach. In my case, it comes down to one thing: focus on the true value of my work. Once I know what generates value, I know where to concentrate my efforts. If I can do this one thing in 2011, I will radically improve my reality and the reality of my clients.
So, if you’re committed to moving past paper resolutions and wishful thinking to something concrete, what’s the one thing you can (and will) do in 2011 to improve your reality at work?
[Photo Credit: Win Lwin]
Above and Beyond KM 