Make resolutions a daily habit
IT’S that time of year again when individuals and companies make resolutions that should have been part of their modus operandi every day anyway. Still, something about the new calendar year always gives us reason to find renewed resolve to change, improve, do more and be better people and leaders. Or so we tell ourselves and team members anyway, for the dismal fulfilment rate of resolutions, well-written though they may be, is well documented. In spite of that, however, the process of doing some form of self-assessment serves a useful purpose; if only to get us refocused on our personal and professional benchmarks.
Leader or Follower?
It’s also at this time that many employees take stock of their place on the totem pole of the corporate ladder and assess how their tenure measures up with their position and qualifications. Many are content to punch their clock and collect their pay cheques free of actual responsibility for other team members in a supervisory or management role. Their focus is on getting in and getting out the door. And to their credit, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, as long as they perform optimally. But there are those who aspire to be more. They want the double-edged thrill of being in the firing line of leadership, knowing full well that the upside can reap equally rewarding results. They want the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them, innovate and break new ground and make a measurable, even profitable, difference. Every successful company with continuity as a priority should strive to create an environment conducive with inspiring and unearthing these hidden gems in their organisation.
worker Bee or ‘Intrapreneur’
In that spirit, while recognising the need for worker bees who perform their assigned tasks to the best of their abilities, a culture of ‘intrapreneurship’ is also to be encouraged. A relatively new concept in the business world, intrapreneurship refers to a manager (person) within a company who promotes innovative product development and marketing. While it may not be in everyone’s job description to perform marketing or product development duties, innovation and new ideas about how to improve productivity are the domain of any worker who wants to contribute and in turn be rewarded for that input. It’s been said by many of the world’s leading business thought leaders that if a supervisor or manager is not preparing their team members to elevate to their current position, then they’re really not doing the company justice.
As team members at whatever stage of the corporate pyramid, we don’t need a new year or an annual company retreat to move forward with our goals of self-improvement and upward mobility. That process of transformation begins whenever you decide it does. Happy New Year!
Until next time, leaders, keep lookin’ up!
Debra Fraser, MBA, is CEO of Caribbean HR Solutions, board member of the Business Process Industry of Jamaica, member of the Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica, and member of the Society of Human Resources Management in the US. Please direct comments to dfraser@ caribbeanhrsolutions.com