MANAGE & LEAD
Out With the Old & In With the New Professional resoutions to consider in the New Year by Erica LaCentra
W
ith 2016 swiftly coming to an end and 2017 planning well underway, it is inevitable to spend time reflecting on both the positives and negatives of the past year. As with the close of any year, this reflection is typically what drives people to create New Year’s resolutions. While many focus on personal resolutions such as going to the gym more, eating healthier, etc., professional resolutions are often overlooked, or worse yet, never even considered. People may think companyestablished goals for the New Year
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will suffice, but how many people would ever settle for leaving their personal objectives in someone else’s hands? Use 2017 as an opportunity to better yourself both personally and professionally. If you’re not sure where to start, here are some professional resolutions you might want to consider. RESOLVE TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO YOUR CUSTOMERS One of the biggest pitfalls that companies fall into while developing new programs and products is creating
something based on what they think customers want. Meanwhile, no one ever took the time to find out if that matches up with what their customers actually want. The easiest way to figure out what will draw new customers and retain existing customers is to simply ask them. Start the New Year off with a customer satisfaction survey and ask basics like: “ What did our company do well/ poorly this past year?” “Why did you originally choose to