Write a headline for a positive news article about your team or department that reflects your vision for the future. Now write the first paragraph describing what happened, why, and the impact it had. Share what you wrote with your team.
Consider your personal niche. Of all your strengths and job responsibilities, which ONE is your core niche, based on both your competency in the area and its uniqueness compared to your coworkers and/or competitors?
Reach out to two or three individuals who were in the audience for a recent presentation you gave. Ask them to share one thing that they valued about how you communicated, and one thing you could do to present your message more clearly.
Even if you are not directly involved in your workplace’s monetary management, identify any ways that you impact your company’s finances. Take some time to investigate how your daily decisions and priorities may affect the bottom line.
Everyone on the team plays some type of a “team role,” such as: Initiator, Innovator, Closer, Researcher, Analyzer, Connector, Humorist, Teacher, etc. Make a list of your team members and, next to their names, describe, in a few words, the role you think each person plays. Think about how that role is helpful to the team.
Take five minutes to mentally review your day. What did you do today that maps perfectly to your organization’s mission? That’s your “mission moment”!
Consider a change effort you are leading. Think about the people who seem to be struggling the most with this change. Consider the cumulative impact of recent changes on their day-to-day reality. If they are resisting a new change initiative, could it be possible that they are over-taxed with change? In your next staff meeting, acknowledge how much change has been going on for those on your team and ask if there is some support you can offer to help them. Sometimes small things can be done and even if you can’t do anything, acknowledging and listening helps build staff resilience.
Analyze your daily interactions with others. Workplace honesty is about doing what you say you will, communicating honestly with others, sharing credit when credit is due, and following through on your commitments. Now, be honest with yourself—how often do you follow these cardinal rules?
Think of one person you work with who you feel like you know fairly well. Write down a list of all of the work-related skills or expertises that you believe they have. Then, show them that list and ask them to check it over and add any skills that you missed.
Select a software application that you use often and take a few minutes to research features that may help you be more productive (e.g., keyboard shortcuts, spreadsheet formulas, email folders). Keep in mind that one way to become more efficient may actually be to STOP using some of the features you’re currently using, such as disabling desktop notifications that distract you from the task at hand.
