Welcome to November! The year is coming to a close. Time to push for results, strategize for next year, and identify pockets of opportunity. In addition, follow-up with your manager to make sure all information is available for calibration meetings, manager ratings, and development plans.
Below are tips to end the year on a high note.
#1. Push for Final Results
Channel your energy to deliver tangible results by the end of November. In the United States, that really means working hard between now and Thanksgiving to complete projects. Focus on:
- Departmental and enterprise objectives, not individual accomplishments.
- Tasks that are 70+ percent complete. You don’t want to work on problems that don’t have the support or resources to complete, or will spill over into the new year, and the team will not get credit for completing in the calendar year.
- Work that expands your spheres of influence across the organization. Meaning other departments or people outside of the organization will benefit from the work.
Don’t forget to update your manager on any substantial milestones reached and link accomplishments to “executive speak,” your work a) improved profits by increasing revenue or lowering costs; b) increased market share, improve customer satisfaction; and/or c) reduced operational, compliance, or legal risk for the organization.
#2. Strategize for Next Year
If you have the time, begin strategizing for next year. If you are extremely busy this can be postponed until December or January (if you work in retail or accounting, for example, where the end of year is busy). Use these questions to prompt your thinking.
What two new job experiences do you want over the next twelve months?
Practical work experiences represent the biggest opportunity to develop in your current role and prepare for your next job. I like using Mark Kizilos’s FrameBreaking Model to determine which of the four types of experiences will help the most in the new year:
- Mastering Experiences – taking on greater challenges within your current area of expertise.
- Delivering Experiences – continue to work on existing work with your current skills.
- Broadening Experiences – taking on new types of works or working with different people.
- FrameBreaking Experiences – handling both higher levels of challenge and new types of work.
What new learning, life, and mentor experiences do you want over the next twelve months?
Think of one or two formal or informal learning experiences that will prepare you to take on more challenging work. It could be an online course, attending a conference, or joining a book club.
Outside of work experiences are a great source of development that are often ignored or underappreciated. Nonwork experiences offer a safer environment to practice new skills away from the eyes of your boss and peers; they provide opportunities to take on greater decision-making authority; and they expand your network outside your company and/or industry. Volunteering, serving on boards of directors, or teaching at a local school are typical learning examples.
Who can serve as mentors in the new year?
Now is a good time to identify and reach out to potential mentors. Ideally you want one mentor to help you achieve the work experiences you identified above, while another mentor will assist with your learning goals. Contact your potential mentors now so they are on board and you begin connecting in January.
#3. Identify Pockets of Opportunity
If you work in a large company, or for an organization that follows the zero-based budgeting method, where monies must be spend by the end of the fiscal year, and don’t carry over to the next period, look for pockets of available money. They could be in your department or another. Partner with colleagues from other departments to identify how you can spend excess money between now and the end of the year that will benefit most people. In my career I have use this tactic to:
- Pre-pay training for the next year.
- Get a discount on conference expenses.
- Pay appreciation bonuses to colleagues who are not generally eligible.
- Hire part-time workers to get a head start on next years’ initiatives.
- Seed innovation or research projects with other departments.
Be creative and work with your finance team to get started.
Bottom Line
November is the time to close out important work initiatives, strategize for the upcoming year, and identify pockets of opportunity. Remember to give your boss the information they need to put you in the best light for rating and promotion discussions.
