5 New Year's Resolutions for 2014!

The start of a new year is often a time for new resolutions! It's a chance to review the past year and set new goals for the year ahead. Some will quit smoking, others will decide to finally start exercising, and still others will choose a more "spiritual" path, which will be to learn to manage their emotions in stressful situations, to communicate better, to build and inspire confidence... simply the search for a positive atmosphere both at work and at home. In the office, this would translate as follows. Staying in a good mood in all circumstances.

1- Take Stock
For this new year, let's make a commitment to keep smiling even when a colleague or collaborator is acting in bad faith. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed by your emotions, always keeping in mind that with a touch of humor and perspective, you can defuse any crisis situation. The best thing is to take stock of how you feel at that precise moment and calmly explain what's wrong rather than letting your inner anger explode or imposing it on your teams all day long. Be exemplary in everything you do This year is the time to put together your dream team!

2- Lead by Example
A team that listens to you without you having to force or repeat yourself, where everyone respects the established rules, and where you won't have that horrible, time-consuming role of a policeman that you hate so much. For that,
lead by example. Don't expect your collaborators to be on time if you are always late yourself. Don't expect them to complete reports correctly if you don't read them. If you want to command respect and gain authority, there's no secret, lead by example.

3- Listen and Be Available
If this wasn't the case last year, this year, don't leave your office door closed from morning till night! Even if you want to have quiet time to focus on important files, set aside hours when your office door will remain open to your collaborators. Go to your teams, listen to what they have to say, and above all, take notes. Don't lose sight of the fact that we all need to belong to a group, and the first important thing in a group is to feel good in it. To do this, you need to allow people to speak and express themselves freely.

4- Be Fair
Know this: it's absolutely impossible to trust a manager who is not fair. This year, if you want to build a strong relationship with your teams, you're going to have to learn to be consistent in your actions. If you are demanding one day and lax the next, no one will know how to behave with you, and no one will dare to be honest with you. If you tended to show that there were differences in treatment within your teams, stop doing it and learn to be more impartial. Distribute tasks fairly and grant raises in a justified manner so as not to create resentment or bitterness.

5- Make Decisions and Take Responsibility for Them
If you felt last year that you weren't able to impose certain decisions, this year is the time to implement new things and take responsibility for them! But once you've made a decision, don't go back on it after a week because people disagree or complain that they have too much work... Impose your decisions and take responsibility for them if you feel it's good for the company. If you follow these resolutions throughout the year, they will allow you to maintain a climate of trust within your teams, which will motivate them to become more involved in a calm and serene atmosphere. So don't wait any longer and start applying them tomorrow!

Philippe Montant General Manager ExeKutive.biz