Find ways to improve performance this year

find that at the beginning of a new year — and for some organizations, the beginning of their fiscal year — there is a renewed excitement and optimism. Hopefully, there is a clear view of the objectives that will yield organizational success.

The establishment of goals is on most people’s list as a means to meet or exceed the objectives they desire for the year ahead. Established goals are tools common among individuals and organizations.

Whether there are new or revised strategic plans, sales quotas, grant targets or billable hour objectives, most organizations have goals to meet.

Since our organizations are comprised of individuals, on a fundamental level those individuals also must have goals to meet in order for the organization to be successful.

Managers are a critical component of any organization and, as such, should continually develop their skills. Since managers are human, there continues to be opportunity for improvement. In some orgaI nizations, employee and management development are budgetary line items and actions in personal development plans. If you work in an organization with a significant team development budget, consider that a real benefit.

Unfortunately, for many organizations the personnel development line item has been severely reduced or eliminated . If that is the case, it is incumbent upon individuals, both managers and team members, to plan and execute their own personal development program.

There are those who utilize New Year’s resolutions. There are others who have found success in the creation of vision boards. Still others are continuing their work from last year on degree programs or certifications. Whatever approach helps you see an objective and motivates you to accomplish your goals is the right one for you.

In addition to what works for you, consider the following suggestions.

Find the weakness in your performance and work on strengthening that area. Just like athletes, most of us have that one thing or maybe two that is a requirement of our job but is not our strength. It might be report writing or, in the workstation era, your typing skills might not be as fast as you would like. Therefore, like an athlete, work on those areas to improve your performance and maximize your skill set.

Read more books. I became an author last year with my first book, “31 Coffee Breaks to a Better Organization.” Now, as an author and a reader, I have a new appreciation of the “conversation” that can be held with the author of a book and how that conversation can benefit my personal development.

Identify non-productive time wasters and minimize them. Meetings may have come to mind for some of you. You may be right, but I would suggest the negative productivity impact of meetings could be improved with better managed meetings. Therefore, you might be able to reduce the number of meetings as a result of more efficient meeting structures.

Take a moment today and think about your personal development. What small change will you make this year to improve your performance and your life?

Cornell Wright is an author, trainer, consultant and an Executive Coach at The Parker Wright Group Inc. in Stratford. The firm assists clients to increase their market share by improved customer service. He can be reached at 203-377-4226 or cornell@ parkerwrightgroup.com.