Be it Resolved....

I don't do New Year's Resolutions. It's not that I have anything against them, it's just that I don't think of the New Year as the time to set goals. I'm much more likely to be introspective around my birthday, or when the kids go back to school. But seeing that many people think about resolutions, or take stock at this time of year here are a few for consideration:

Resolve to...do your own quarterly review. Write down what you've accomplished, and what you want to accomplish. Update your resume with these accomplishments before you forget them.

Resolve to...share your expertise. You know what you do well - do others? How hard would it be to send an email saying "I just upgraded my laptop and have some ideas to share if you're thinking about the same thing" or "I've got a great relationship with the Sales Ops teams, so if you need help getting customer info let me know."

Resolve to...pass it on. How many emails do you get each day? How often do you pass them to your team? To the broader team? It's a fine line to walk, since you don't want to spam people, but in general, more communication is better than less. I'd rather get the information twice than not at all.

Resolve to...find something in each week that you enjoyed doing. And then do more of that. My daughter's class ends each week with sharing their "sweets and sours". It's a silly thing, but it does make you think about what you got out of the week - maybe you worked like crazy on the presentation, but you really enjoyed getting to work with a new team member. How can you work more with them next week?

Resolve to...learn. What do you want to look into? Learning opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. Once you identify your learning objectives, share them, and you'll see many ways to help you fullfill your need - from in class learning, to mentors to ojt. If you want to learn it, the information is out there.

Resolve to...lead. In the current economy, there are going to be plenty of people who are ducking and covering and being fearful. This is a perfect time to emerge as a leader in your organzation or group. Start the project. Pull the people together. Say "yes". Anyone can be a leader, all it takes is raising your hand.

Cheers to 2009!