Robinette Law - January 2020

Cover story, continued ...

“A good manager is a man who isn’t worried about his own career, but rather the careers of those who work for him.” –H.S.M. Burns In other words, a good manager is one who is loyal not only to their company but also to their team. They care deeply about the people they work with, including their issues outside the office — like how their family is doing, whether they’re in good mental health, and how they’re coping financially. When employees feel like their managers view them as individuals rather than numbers, they’re more engaged, more productive, and happier. The opposite feeling has the opposite effect. Forbes reports that, according to a Gallup poll, “Among employees who strongly agree that they can approach their manager with any type of question, 54% are engaged. When employees strongly disagree, only 2% are engaged, while 65% are actively disengaged.” “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” –John Quincy Adams

More than perhaps anyone else in the company, a manager needs to have top-notch communication skills. Not only are managers the ones assigned to handle the most difficult clients with grace but they also act as mediators in employee disputes. Managers are also tasked with communicating the company’s goals to employees, a charge that can either fall flat or spur action. As Victor Lipman wrote for Forbes, “Simple communication one can count on goes a long way toward building manager-employee rapport. And rapport builds trust ... trust builds engagement ... and engagement yields productivity.”

Loyalty is a close cousin to this second managerial necessity: motivation. A manager needs to motivate and inspire the people they manage. According to CareerBuilder, a good manager who’s adept at motivating others can boost morale and increase productivity. “The best managers have a keen eye for areas that could be improved and know how to approach these issues diplomatically so workers feel encouraged to make productive changes, rather than discouraged by their shortcomings,” CareerBuilder reports.

“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” –James Hume

Help Your Kids Achieve MoreThis Year With Simple and Actionable Goals

Don’t do all the work for them.

try to do it? Your kids will assign as much importance to NewYear’s resolutions as you do, so by sticking to your own commitments, you can help them stay on track too.

With every new year comes an opportunity to reinvent ourselves or start down a new path toward self-improvement. Making resolutions is a big part of many families’NewYear’s traditions, and parents often have a desire for their kids to take part in that tradition when they’re old enough. Following through on resolutions is tough, especially for young children, but with your help, they can achieve their goals.

While it’s important for you to help your kids formulate their goals, be sure that you aren’t taking over. If they’re ultimately responsible for their resolutions, they’ll feel more compelled to keep them. Instead, suggest different goal areas they could improve, such as home, school, or sports, and let them elaborate. When it comes to creating habits, nobody is perfect, so even if your kids falter on their goals in the middle of February, don’t worry. The important thing is that you continue to encourage them every step of the way.

Keep things simple and achievable.

When your kids are forming their resolutions, their first attempts will probably be very broad. Statements like“I want to be more kind”or“I will try to helpmore around the house”incorporate good values but don’t include any actionable steps. Help your kids think of tangible ways to act on those goals. For example, if they want to be tidier, a good resolutionmight be for them to clean their roomonce a week or take responsibility for one household chore every day.

Practice what you preach.

You are your children’s role model for almost everything, including following through on NewYear’s resolutions. So, ask yourself if you follow through on your own resolutions. When you proclaim that you will read more books or finally get a gymmembership, do you actually

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