Hit the ground running

From holiday parties, client lunches, family gatherings or relaxing on a beach - we know that wherever you are, it’s hard to get back to routine and hit the ground running in the workplace after the past month of celebrations.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as we take on the coming year. We want to set you up for a year smashing personal and professional goals!

Set Goals

Ask yourself, what do you want to achieve this year?

This week, take 30 minutes before or during work (whether in a cafe or a meeting room) and write down some goals you’d like to achieve in the first half of the year.

Set some SMART, attainable goals. A quick refresher. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Relevant and Timely.

At RedSeed, we each set five goals:

• 3 Work goals
• 1 Health goal
• 1 Personal goal

Some of our personal goals included volunteering within our community, finally starting that YouTube channel or simply swapping the car for a bike, for the morning commutes.

Our work goals were brainstormed while looking at the short-term and long-term and reevaluating current project goals to ensure everything was aligned.

While we are the training experts, we also wanted to ensure we continued to upskill and several work-focused goals included picking up a night-school class and becoming the company expert in our CRM system - to help new-starters and those less confident.

It’s key to not overload yourself and burn out early in the year so making sure those goals are SMART is key.

Personal Development Day

If you’re a manager, think about hosting a personal development day early in the year to re-engage your staff and discuss last years goals and ask them what they need from you and the company to help them continue to develop within their roles.

This reminds your team that they’re valued and their development is important to you and the company. This also helps the team refocus post-holiday.

Encourage Teamwork

The post-holiday blues come in waves and it can be hard to get a team fully re-engaged and working together. There’s often an increased workload at the beginning of the year and can start the year off working in silos.

Encourage your teams to support each other at all levels of the team, as employees arrive back into the office in dribs and drabs. One team may be three members down and working at full capacity, while the other has a full team and is giving tight deadlines.

This is where a daily WIP with all departments can be helpful at this time of year.

No matter how motivated your employees are at this time of year, it’s important to take this time when the office is a little quieter to set your own professional goals. It not only inspires you but also motivates employees or co-workers around you to continue to aim high for the year.