Finish Your Year Strong

With the holiday season coming into view, it’s tempting to take your foot off the gas and cruise towards the year’s end. Don’t. These last few weeks are when you should be making the most of those lessons learned and preparing for the year ahead. So, rather than just watching the clock wind down by going Secret Santa shopping and taking bets on who’s going to photocopy which part of their anatomy at the office party, finish your year strong!

Here are your practical tips to make the most of what’s left of 2014 and end on a high note.

Review your year

• Write down your biggest success and shortlist the actions you’re going to take to replicate that success next year.
• Do the same for your biggest failure and write down what you’ve learned. Shortlist the preventive actions you’ll take to guard against a repeat. You might be disinclined to dwell on the year’s lowlights when you’re feeling all festive and frothy, but bite the bullet and do it or you’ll miss out on the wisdom to be gained.
• Arrange a year-end wrap-up with your manager to get their feedback on how you’ve performed and to establish objectives for next year. Sure you may have covered some of this ground already; nevertheless, go for a final sit-down to make sure you’re on the same page and that your priorities are aligned going forward.

Review your relationships

• As we all know, having strong professional relationships is key to business success. Some connections come naturally and easily; other don’t and take more work. Year’s end is an opportune time for some relationship housekeeping. Here’s an exercise to try:
  • List the stakeholders whose contributions most directly impact your performance.
  • Then, identify the relationships that are misfiring and not delivering their full potential.
  • Find time to talk to the individuals concerned and share your thoughts with them. Be clear on what you need from them in order to improve collaboration and performance. Don’t assume that anyone already knows or shares your priorities. Let them know about what matters most to you so that you can either align goals and thinking, or you’re at least clear on each other’s priorities and can work together more effectively.
  • Ask how you could better support your teammate, and what they see your part is in improving the relationship. Positive teamwork is always a two-way street.

Finish strong as a team

• If you manage a team, ask them for their highlights and lowlights of the year and get their ideas on what they’d like to see new or different next year. Do this as a group exercise rather than a succession of one-on-ones. You could take a long pre-holiday team lunch—or find somewhere away from the office where people can engage in more frank, free-flowing dialogue. This is a great way to set your team up for a more positive work environment in the New Year—and a productive one, too.
• Ask your team what they’d like from you in the New Year, and what you can do better or differently to improve their work life and performance. To encourage team members to feel comfortable giving you honest feedback, try asking them to jot down a few bullet points anonymously and drop them in a suggestions box you provide. And then share the results. The team will appreciate your transparency and the commitment to change—and they might even help/nag to keep you honest!
• Say thanks! Maybe you’ve done a grand job of recognizing hard work and good performance through the year, but now’s a great time to reiterate that and show your appreciation.
• If you’re a team member, get together with the others on the team and review the good and the not-so-good of the year. Remain focused on how collaboration can be improved to deliver team success in the New Year. Agree and record at least one takeaway action per team member. Distill your broader good intentions down to specifics that team members can take ownership of and deliver against.  

De-clutter—mentally and environmentally

• Make a concerted effort to whittle down your to-do list. The shorter that list is, the more you’ll enjoy your holiday. Clear the decks of any I-really-must-get-round-to-doing-this.  Delegate whatever you can. If there are tasks on your list that have been there a long time, consider whether they’re worth doing at all and if not, donate them to the trash bin. After all, if they were really going to add value, you’d have already done them, right?
• Any gnarly tasks or difficult conversations you’ve been putting off? Get them done. You’ll feel so much better starting the New Year without these waiting for you. Plus you may find a difficult conversation goes smoother than feared with most of us being in good spirits ahead of a break!
• Tidy desk = tidy mind. Unless you really are inspired by those ever-growing piles, get rid of them. Clear out that desk draw; clear off your desk top. The same goes for your inbox, other electronic documentation, computer files, etc. Do whatever you can do to start the New Year journey with as little baggage as possible.

 Write it all down

• All those lessons learned, good ideas, objectives etc.—record them somewhere. Don’t just try and “remember to remember.” Otherwise, chances are you’ll forget something along the way. Especially if you have a really, really good holiday. And losing those hard-won lessons is like letting gold spill out of your pockets.

Plan for next year

• Set your goals and objectives. Business objectives might already be determined for you and your team, but look to your own values and set a short list of your personal improvement targets. We can all get better at something.
• Think S.M.A.R.T. You need to plan the How not just the What.
• Don’t turn up unprepared and let the New Year just happen to you. Decide what you want out of it and plan how you’re going to get it. Then, go get it!

Start your year committed to mastering your career. To help you get there, download “The Ultimate Project Management Guide for New and Accidental PMs"
________
Source: Liquid Planner

Opportunities to help others surround us

 

Helping others, an every day opportunity.

22 business-etiquette rules every professional should know

Always initiate the handshake if you're the higher-ranking person or host. Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/Flickr

Having a basic understanding of business etiquette rules is crucial.

In "The Essentials of Business Etiquette," Barbara Pachter writes about the things people need to know in order to conduct and present themselves appropriately in professional social settings.

Here are some of her most important points:

1. Stand when you're being introduced to someone

"Standing helps establish your presence. You make it easy for others to ignore you if you don't stand. If you are caught off guard and cannot rise, you should lean forward to indicate that you would stand, if you could," Pachter writes.

2. Always say your full name

In a business situation, you should use your full name, but you should also pay attention to how others want to be introduced.

3. Always initiate the handshake if you're the higher-ranking person or host

In today's workplace, the host or the higher-ranking person, regardless of gender, should extend their hand first, she writes. "If the higher-ranking person fails to do so immediately — often because of gender confusion — the lower-ranking person should extend his or her hand without missing more than a beat."

Either way, the handshake must happen. "In the United States, the handshake is the business greeting. If you want to be taken seriously, you must shake hands and shake hands correctly."

4. Dress appropriately

"Clothing, an important form of nonverbal communication, can enhance a person's professional reputation or detract from his or her credibility. You want to send a professional message through your clothing choices," Pachter writes.

Always find out what the dress code is at an event, meeting, or restaurant and make sure your attire falls within the guidelines.

5. Only say 'thank you' once or twice during a conversation

"You need to say it only once or twice within a conversation," Pachter writes. "Otherwise, you may dilute its impact and possibly make yourself seem somewhat helpless and needy."

6. Send separate thank-you notes to everyone involved

You should send thank-you notes within 24 hours, and you should send separate notes to everyone you want to thank.

"Before you choose between email and handwritten notes, consider that regular mail may take several days to get to its destination while email arrives almost immediately," Pachter writes. "This time difference can be important after a job interview, if the hiring decision is being made quickly."

7. Put your phone away

Everyone brings their phone everywhere they go today — but you should avoid taking it out during meetings.

You might be tempted to text or email, but no matter how sly you try to be, it's noticeable and rude.

Also, don't place your phone on the table when meeting with someone. You are telling that person that you are so ready to drop him or her and connect with someone else.

8. Use professional headshots

Always post professionally appropriate photographs on LinkedIn and your other professional sites, she suggests. "You want to look like a credible, approachable person — not like you just came from the beach," Pachter tells Business Insider. Use a head shot that highlights your head and face and part of your chest and shoulders. "You are the focus of the picture."

9. Use a professional email address

If you work for a company, you should use your company email address. But if you use a personal email account — whether you are self-employed or just like using it occasionally for work-related correspondences — you should be careful when choosing that address, Pachter says.

You should always have an email address that conveys your name so that the recipient knows exactly who is sending the email. Never use email addresses (perhaps remnants of your grade-school days) that are not appropriate for use in the workplace, such as "babygirl@ ..." or "beerlover@ ..."

10. Always double check that you have selected the correct email recipient

Pay attention when typing a name from your address book on the email's "To" line. It is easy to select the wrong name, which you really don't want to do.

11. Use professional email salutations

Don't use laid-back, colloquial expressions like, "Hey you guys," "Yo," or "Hi folks."

"The relaxed nature of our writings should not affect the salutation in an email," she says. "Hey is a very informal salutation and generally it should not be used in the workplace. And Yo is not okay either. Use Hi or Hello instead."

She also advises against shortening anyone's name. Say "Hi, Michael," unless you're certain he prefers to be called "Mike."

12. If you forget someone's name, admit it

Everyone forgets a name occasionally, Pachter tells Business Insider.When it happens to you, say something, such as, "I'm so sorry. I have forgotten your name." Or, "Your face is so familiar; I just can't recall your name," she suggests.

13. Greet people at work

Say "hello" and "good morning" to people you know and don't know, she tells Business Insider.

"The person that you say 'hello' to on the way to the meeting may be the person sitting next to you at the meeting. And you have already established minor rapport. And if someone says 'hello' to you, you have to say 'hello' back. It is not optional."

14. Keep your fingers together when you point

"Point with an open palm, and keep your fingers together. If you point with your index finger, it appears aggressive," Pachter writes. "Both men and women point, but women have a tendency to do it more than men."

15. Be punctual

Always show up on time for meetings. You don't want to waste anyone else's time by not being punctual. Plus, it makes you seem unprofessional.

If a situation out of your control causes you to be late, let the people you're meeting with know. Send an email or give them a call updating them on your new ETA. Apologize and briefly explain the situation (don't make a million excuses!) and when you do arrive, don't waste any more of their time by complaining about the traffic or train delays.

16. Never pull out someone's chair for them

It's OK to hold open a door for your guest, but Pachter says you shouldn't pull someone's chair out for them regardless of gender. In a business setting, you should leave those social gender rules behind.

"Both men and women can pull out their own chairs."

17. Don't order anything too expensive

If you order an expensive steak or lobster, for instance, you will look like you're taking advantage of your host, Pachter writes. "However, if your host makes recommendations, you can order any of those suggestions, though it's still better not to choose the most expensive." The same goes for wine.

Also be careful when ordering a "special."

"Many waiters do not mention the price when telling you their specials of the night. Specials can cost from 10% to 40% more than regular menu items, but you cannot comfortably ask the price of a special in a business situation." You're better off steering clear.

18. Order the same thing as your guest/host

This means that if your guest or host orders an appetizer or dessert, you should follow suit.

"You don't want to make your guest feel uncomfortable by eating a course alone,"Pachter writes.

19. Never ask for a to-go box

"You are there for business, not for the leftovers," Pachter writes. "Doggie bags are okay for family dinners but not during professional occasions."

20. Remember the host should always pay

"If you did the inviting, you are the host, and you should pay the bill, regardless of gender. What if a male guest wants to pay? A woman does have some choices. She can say, 'Oh, it’snot me; it is the firm that is paying.' Or she can excuse herself from the table and pay the bill away from the guests. This option works for men as well, and it is a very refined way to pay a bill," Pachter writes.

"However, the bottom line is that you don't want to fight over a bill. If a male guest insists on paying despite a female host's best efforts, let him pay."

21. Stay sober

Do not get drunk at business-social activities, Pachter tells Business Insider. "Jobs have been lost and careers have been ruined because people got drunk and said or did things that were inappropriate. One suggestion to follow is to order a drink that you do not like and nurse that drink all evening."

22. Prepare a polite exit

Pachter says you need to be the one talking as you're making the exit. "Remember to leave when you are talking. At that point, you are in control, and it is a much smoother exit."

You should also have "exit lines" prepared in case you need to leave a conversation. You can say "Nice to meet you" or "Nice talking to you" or "See you next week at the meeting."

You can also excuse yourself for a bathroom break, to get food, or say you wanted to catch someone before they leave.

Jacquelyn Smith and Vivian Giang contributed to earlier versions of this article.
__________
Source: BUSINESS INSIDER 

What to do in the pursuit of your dreams...

Get inspired once more.