A new year often brings a feeling of renewal and rejuvenation as we set goals, intentions and resolutions in our lives. This is usually when we try to make changes to our diet, our routines and other aspects of our lives. How often are we successful and follow through on our resolutions?
What is often missed in these agendasetting exercises are the resolutions related to our work relationships. This past year, many of us saw our working relationships develop, grow and adapt virtually. Perhaps without even seeing the people we work with, we have engaged in teamwork activities, problem-solving conversations and collaborative efforts to move our work forward. What resolutions are we making to help repair, restore and revitalize our working relationships and how can we make sure we are successful in following through with these resolutions? Consider the five-step reflection exercise below.
From the Playbook: As an exercise in setting workplace relationship resolutions, I encourage you to do some reflective writing on the prompts below. Take a moment to find a piece of paper or open up a Word document so you can write these questions and put your thoughts down on paper. Think about each of these questions deeply and follow them in order to create your own New Year resolution for your working relationships.
Prompt No. 1: A working relationship that is impacting my ability to do my job or feel satisfied at work is …
Reflection Questions: Who was the first person that comes to mind? Why do you think that person came to mind first? Are you able to be honest with yourself about this relationship?
Prompt No. 2: The impacts of this working relationship are …
Reflection Questions: How is this relationship impacting job performance/satisfaction for you, them and the team? How is the relationship impacting the stakeholders who rely on your collective work? What are the behavioral, emotional or psychological impacts of this working relationship?
Prompt No. 3: If I don’t make any changes to this relationship the consequences will be …
Reflection Questions: What are the risks to things staying the same? What will be the collective and cumulative impact over the course of one year, three years or five years?
Prompt No. 4: I have, within my power, the ability to change this by…
Reflection Questions: What do you have responsibility for and control of in this relationship? Even acknowledging that the other person has a role in this relationship, what are your opportunities for action?
Prompt No. 5: My resolution for this working relationship is…
Reflection Questions: Tie it all together. Clearly state what your intentions, goals or commitments are for doing what you can to tend to this working relationship. What is a small step or action you can take this week or month to move toward this resolution? How will you hold yourself accountable to ensure you follow through with your resolution? What will you do to celebrate your success in taking these actions?
