What’s on your mind as you return to work after the Christmas holiday and New Year Celebrations?
2023 is brand new, bright and shiny out of the box. What shall we make of it?
Whether you are returning to work full of hope and excitement, or feeling anxious about facing ongoing problems, you can be sure of one thing.
In 2023 – as a manager – what you do really matters.
I like to quote Clayton M Christenson, the Harvard professor, who said:
“Management is the most noble of professions if it’s practiced well. No other occupation offers as many ways to help others and contribute to the success of a team.”
Whatever organisation you work in and whatever your position, if you are managing people, you will have an impact. You will make a difference.
Sometimes we may feel overwhelmed, that so much of what happens is outside our control. We may wonder how we can really make a difference. We might even ask ourselves what we’re even doing at work. Why are we there?
But the way you manage people will affect how they feel at work and how well they perform. It will contribute to the performance of teams and the fate of your organisation. It will ripple out into families and society as people go home carrying with them their experiences and emotions from work. If you doubt this, just ask the people you manage.
Is management easy? No!
Is it worthwhile? Absolutely, yes!
Start with what you can control. Start with yourself and your interactions with the people you manage. Believe that you can and will make a difference. Know that what you are doing is important.
I wish you a happy, fruitful and successful New Year.