1. See it as a new decade, not just a New Year. Take time to envision what you want to see happening in your organization, or even your department, over the next decade and start mapping out – at a macro level – the big transformations that will need to occur. Then break it down into what can be accomplished this year.

2. Commit to continuous learning. We all acknowledge that the world is changing rapidly, with experts predicting that we’re on the edge of a whole new technology transformation coming soon. We must be vigilant about keeping our skills and competencies up to date, whether that’s by reading, taking classes, finding mentors (remember a Gen Y is a great mentor to teach you social media skills), and benchmarking what we’re doing against best practices.

3. Learn how to add value. Experts suggest that 40% of executives in key positions in organizations fail, at a cost to the organization of six times their annual salary (Training, July 2008). They fail because they haven’t learned how to add value. So many times we think the only way to add value is through our technical skills. But, in truth, there are many process skills that are tremendously beneficial to an organization: communication, planning, facilitating, prioritizing, problem solving, decision making, teambuilding, project managing and the list goes on.

4. Keep the big picture in focus. John Kotter suggests that 70% of change initiatives typically fail. Much of the reason is because leaders start to “drill down” into the details and lose the big picture and their role as change champions. Hanging onto the big picture requires seeing the organization and its future from a “systems” perspective. Rather than a left (past) to right (future) process, systems thinking works from right to left (begin with the desired outcome and work to close the gap between the future and today). Try this in an upcoming meeting by inviting the group to define the end and work backwards.

5. Speak up. Research done by the Concours Group suggests that 85% of why projects fail is due to “silence.” It begins with project sponsors who do not communicate clearly about expectations and are resistant to hearing feedback. It follows with “fact-free planning” when deliverables, budgets and timelines are set with no opportunity for input from the people who will actually do the work. When this happens, there is an 88% failure rate. Once a project starts, it can derail when team members neglect to honestly communicate project risks, delays and problems. Seventy-eight percent of these projects will go over budget and 74% will under-deliver. And, over 80% of projects are compromised by members who do not show up for meetings, fail to meet schedules, and don’t bother to respond to emails or communicate with team members.

Matt Harrington

homepage: http://www.newdirectionsconsulting.com

blog: http://www.newdirectionsconsulting.com/wordpress

Happy Holidays!

Kris Plantrich
ResumeWonders.com