January 1st has come and gone, but it’s never too late to turn over a new leaf! We’ve developed this list of resolutions for you to commit to over the coming year.
1. Review, revise, and redistribute your school’s policies.
Whether you’ve never gotten around to establishing formal policies for your school or it’s been years since the last revision, it’s time to grab a cup of coffee and go over your school's rules and procedures, one page at a time.
Issues arise all the time that dated policies may not address. While reviewing your employee handbook, flag sections that should be updated so that “next time” will be handled more smoothly. Disciplinary measures for faculty and students should cover digital media as well as traditional methods of communication. See if procedures or programs implemented at school since the last revision should be included for future reference.
As important as having an up-to-date handbook and policy record is to protect and guide your school, it’s equally important to commit to following these procedures yourself. Sure, certain processes can be tedious and time-consuming at times, but there’s a reason each of these steps is outlined. (Besides, if you discover that some processes can be officially shortened during your review, now’s a good time to draw attention to them!)
2. Communicate clearly, concisely, and kindly.
When something's on your mind, it’s easy to think that it's on everyone's mind, too. So the next time someone asks you to repeat yourself, consider why they’ve asked—and if you’re both reading from the same sheet of music, so to speak.
The same concept applies to digital forms of communication, too. Remember that tone is more difficult to convey via text than in-person. While emoticons—the traditional supplemental pictures used to demonstrate a writer’s emotions—aren’t always business-appropriate, taking care to convey information as quickly and as kindly as you can will reduce in-office stress and confusion.
3. Tackle tough situations.
It’s perfectly natural to avoid tasks you don’t do well or dislike. It could be anything from reviewing insurance policies, embracing the whole social media thing, or asking—yet again—for paperwork to be submitted to avoid a huge data entry backlog. These things are unpleasant, can make you feel inferior, and distract from the parts of your job at which you excel.
Then again, if you never tackle the hard things, you won't grow professionally. It's easy to congratulate yourself on past achievements. Sometimes, though, it's better to look down the road at the next challenge ahead of you, rather than dwelling on previous kudos.
So get uncomfortable this year and confront those parts of your job you dislike. Talk to the employee whose performance has been lacking. Resolve to finish that stack of paperwork—and keep it from regrowing on your desk.
What are some resolutions you’d like to share with your fellow private-independent school Business Officers?
Additional ISM resources:
Private School News Vol. 9 No. 12 13 Funny New Year's Resolutions Found On Twitter
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 11 No. 5 2013: Renewing Your Passions
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 39 No. 3 Conflict Resolution: Moving From Risk and Toxicity to Predictability and Support
I&P Vol. 29 No. 5 Auditing Your Business Office Operations
