2021 is almost at a close. While the world harboured hopes for a better 2022, it looks like the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has put paid to plans of life returning to normalcy. Countries that previously declared high vaccination rates and measures to open up businesses are reinstating safety measures seen during the height of the virus.
For most businesses around the world, employees will most likely continue to work from home. For managers, it looks like yet another year of working remotely without meeting their teams, peers and managers.
Still, with the new year just around the corner, middle managers should not put off preparing for 2022 – for your teams, for your employees, and for yourselves. Let’s see how, with a series of questions you can ask yourself.
Teams
- What are our key deliverables and impact targets for 2022?
- Which activities will make the most impact in the year ahead?
- What will we need to do more of?
- What will we need to do less of?
- Which activities should we stop doing altogether?
- How can we shake up what we’re currently doing?
- Should I do team-focused 360-degree surveys to get others’ opinions and input about my team’s work and contribution?
- How can our team meetings be improved to get more value out of them?
- How will our team’s activities and successes be better communicated to more people?
- What does my team need (headcount / budget / direction) to do better in 2022?
Employees
- How was each of my employees impacted over the last one to two years?
- What can I do to change things or make the situation better for my employees?
- How can my employees be challenged, stretched and developed in the new year?
- Who deserves more responsibility?
- Which employee deserves a promotion?
- Have I planned regular conversations with them?
- What are their motivators and drivers?
- Is anyone a flight risk, and planning to leave the team or company?
- Is someone displaying signs of burnout, breakdown or demotivation, and how can I tackle it?
- Were my employees adequately recognised and rewarded for their good work and resilience?
Yourself
- What new things do I plan to learn?
- Are there one or two new self-development things that I can start doing?
- What time-vampire activities or habits can I automate, delegate or eliminate?
- How can I improve my managerial skills?
- What should I do to improve my work-oriented skills?
- How can I be a better manager to my employees?
- What will I need to improve work-life balance?
- How can I plan better for unexpected events?
- What will help me stay motivated?
- Who do I need to connect with to be a better person?
While there are so many more questions that can be asked, we hope this initial list of 30 questions aimed at your team, your employees and yourself can set you on the path to having a better, more productive and more energised new year.
From all of us at Middle Manager, we wish you a productive, effective, successful and development-packed 2022!
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