7 NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTIONS NOT RESOLUTIONS FOR A BETTER WORKPLACE

There’s nothing like a new year to provide the hope and inspiration we need to truly rock out at life. Chances are, you’ve come up with a list of resolutions that will help you become the best version of yourself at home or in business. Perhaps you’re planning to exercise more, eat healthier, send thank you cards to clients?before?the special occasion, spend more time with your family, or even learn to play an instrument. But what if you had new years revolutions instead of resolutions?

Imagine if you or your team, have new year’s revolutions versus resolutions? What would they be? In the spirit of a fresh start, we’ve put together 7 resolutions that will serve you better with a rock star mindset of revolutions that will lead to higher employee satisfaction and efficiency, and a better experience for everyone involved. Especially your customers or fans.

7 New Year’s Revolutions for a Better Workplace

Maybe, you’ve got a great team. They work hard, get along fairly well, and are all committed to one another’s success. Or maybe, you have a bunch of employees that strive to do the least amount of work possible, put up with one another because they have to, and would literally step on a colleague to get ahead.

No matter which scenario resonates (or anything in between), you have the opportunity to tap into the new year’s?mindset?and?create?real change within your organization. Just remember that a culture of teamwork begins at the top. If you want to see rock star results,?you?will have to take different actions.

1. Improve communication

Look at any struggling team and you’ll see poor communication at the root of the problem. Encourage your band members to listen better, communicate with empathy, be honest (but not hurtful), and be open to people who may think and communicate differently. A lot of the time the work doesn’t get done or done correctly because of poor communication. As the band leader it starts with you being 100% transparent with your dreams, goals, or vision and making sure everyone understands that.

2. Create a safe environment

Are your team /band members comfortable thinking outside of the box? Are innovative ideas met with gratitude and honest consideration or with scorn and dismissiveness? You have a treasure trove of wisdom within your department… but only if you create a safe space for employees to share their brilliance. Will every idea be a keeper? Not at all. But you never know what you’ll get when you encourage them to share. Remember Steven Tyler’s dare to suck band meeting principal? All of the band members are challenged to bring their worst ideas to the table and then they build off of them. It created some of the best ideas and music. So maybe you throw the box away, and by doing that there are no boundaries to the limits or ideas and creativity from your team. That’s a Revolution.

3. Give better feedback

There’s always room for improvement. No matter how well your team is doing, there are always tweaks that can be made to make things?even?better. However, without specific, actionable feedback, your comments will do nothing more than offending your team members. Let them know exactly what they could do better (and how), and don’t forget to point out what they’re already doing well. With a Rockstar mindset, all feedback is positive. By taking action, even if it’s in the wrong direction, with positive feedback we will know when and where to turn around. Then we will know what direction we need to go. But if no action is taken then no feedback can be given. Do nothing, get nothing. That’s a Revolution.

4. Accept feedback

You have to crave feedback. Beg for if need be. That you’re a band leader or band member. If you can’t take constructive criticism, and get defensive and angry when it’s provided to you, why would you expect your employees to react any differently? There’s a level of vulnerability that you need to show as a leader when it comes to feedback. When a team member comes to you with a problem or concern, put your ego aside and hear them out. Sure, their opinion may be completely unfounded… or it could be something you truly need to work on. The great thing to remember is that there is almost always more than one way to solve a problem. And the bottom line is it doesn’t matter if it’s your way, or a new way as long as the work gets done, gets done on time, and gets done correctly.

5. Take responsibility

Much like taking feedback, you can’t expect your team to accept responsibility and own up to their mistakes if you don’t. Take ownership of your decisions, even if they have a less than perfect outcome. Seeing the maturity you exhibit will inspire your team members to stop pointing fingers and do the same. It’s wasted energy. Own it. Use it for an opportunity for growth or learning, and then move on. That’s a Revolution.

6. Foster trust

When you or one of your employees says they will do something, does it get done? Being able to trust your teammates is one of the most important aspects of teamwork. If one person doesn’t do what they agreed to do, the entire operation could fall apart. Hold yourself and your team members accountable and you’ll foster a culture of trust. This all comes full circle. But having great communication, embracing and begging for feedback, giving everyone permission to speak freely when they don’t agree or understand something will also make sure that everyone has each other’s back, and help hold each other accountable to make sure the work gets done. Remember?Steve Jobs of Apple?used the?Beatles?as his business model. He said, “they were four young guys who kept each other’s negative tendencies in check, they balance each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts.”

7. Reward the behaviors you want to see

What do you want to see from your team? Do you want them to support one another? Contribute their fare share and pick up the slack (on occasion) when a team member is having a difficult time? Do you want them to focus on the goals of the team in addition to their individual goals? Whatever you hope to create more of, you’ll want to positively reinforce. Rather than only rewarding those who excel in carrying out their personal responsibilities (customer service goals, sales goals, production goals, etc.), reward those who support their fellow team members. And remember there is a fine line between reward and celebration. You always want your team to be in the spirit of celebration. It fuels and gives the motivation to go on. Not just the number one songs or the big wins, but the top ten’s and the top fifties, the small wins too. Trust me on this one the more your band celebrates, the more successful, the more fuel, the more momentum, and the more fun you will have.

Fostering a culture of?teamwork?starts at the top, but should include everyone equally. Exhibit the characteristics and behaviors that you want to see from your employees and band members and they’ll be working together in perfect harmony. To finish the quote from Steve Jobs, he said “and that’s how I see business, great things in business are never accomplished by one person there accomplished by a team of people.” If you need some outside help to create the high-performance team you’ve always wanted, or a band that constantly rocks,?Marvelless Mark?will get them rocking out together and playing in unison. There is a deeper dive into these revolutions in my latest book,?Opportunity Rocks!

So, stop with the resolutions and start creating some revolutions. Here’s to an amazing new year! Cheers!