Tis the season for gift giving and reflection. Whatever your professional goals and dreams are for the era ahead, you’ll be more likely to achieve them through the gift of self-improvement.
As you set your goals, and catch up on your reading, here are 16 articles we believe will bolster your success in the new year. These lessons are gifts that could last a lifetime.
Be more productive: Optimize how you spend time
1. How to boost your agility in 24 hours
Do you envy the dogs who buzz around agility courses? You're not alone: Try these tactics to trick your brain into rewiring.
2. 5 bad habits that steal your time at work
How to flip the script on your to-do list.
3. How to get more work done in less time: 5 tips
You've planned; you've delegated; you've prioritized – but you still wish for more hours in your work day. Use these five tips to get more done in less time.
4. How to kill a needless meeting
Recurring meetings steal a ton of time. Here’s how leaders can decide whether and how to kill a meeting
5. 7 tips to declutter your work life
Inspired by Marie Kondo's "Tidying Up," we round up ways to prioritize and organize your work life.
Deepen your emotional intelligence: EQ is the new IQ
6. Emotional intelligence has 12 elements. Which do you need to work on?
Broaden your definition of EQ, leaders. Business success requires a balance of skills
7. Emotional intelligence: 6 ways to fight your perfectionism
Striving for quality work is admirable, but take perfectionist habits too far and you'll hurt progress. Use these emotional intelligence tactics to keep perfectionism in check
Strengthen your soft skills
8. How to build soft skills: 10 must-read books
Want to communicate more effectively? Resolve conflicts wisely? Keep your cool with difficult people? Improve your soft skills with these books
9. 8 communication mistakes leaders still make
Even if leaders prize communication skills on their team, they may be unintentionally guilty of these faux pas. Take your foot out of your mouth with these tips
10. Soft skills: How to master relationship-building
Want to build stronger personal relationships with colleagues, partners, and customers? Focus on these five soft skill areas
11. How to drop a work grudge
When work disappointments become work grudges, you get caught in an unproductive – and unhealthy – trap. Here are five ways to take control and move on
Become a Swiss Army knife: Sharpen your personal tool kit
12. 5 secrets of master storytellers
Great leaders tell great stories. Use these principles of strong storytelling to improve your narrative efforts
13. How to work a room: No-fail networking tips
Feel a bit of dread at networking events? These tips and mental tricks will help you work a room like a pro
14. 5 ways to beat imposter syndrome
When you feel like a fraud, despite professional accomplishment, that’s imposter syndrome. Here’s how to fight it and avoid hurting your career – and your organization’s success
15. 6 ways to kick off a difficult conversation
Stop avoiding tough conversations. Use these icebreakers to diffuse stress and have more productive one-on-ones
16. 7 self-care tips for frequent travelers
How do you take care of yourself on the road? It’s important to find what works for you
[ Read also: Teaching an elephant to dance - a free eBook on leading teams through the six stages of digital transformation. ]
