Happy Holidays from the Bud to Boss team!

2020 was a challenging year, to say the least, but soon we will be turning the calendar to a new year, full of new opportunities and goals. So as we say farewell to 2020 and prepare to welcome the New Year, we’d like to offer you these words of advice. May they serve you well next year.

Quit sweating the small stuff

If the last year taught us anything it’s that we shouldn’t waste our time stressing over trivial matters. Nitpicking over the smallest details or micromanaging every aspect on every project will only lead to stress and—eventually—burnout. Keep things in perspective. Accept that some things will go wrong. Always have a backup plan. When you do that, the inevitable small setbacks won’t seem so bad.

Show your appreciation more

I would like to think that 2020 made us all a little bit more compassionate and appreciative. Before 2020, it was easy to expect the waitress to provide good service. To expect the mail service to deliver our mail on time. To expect places to be open during our ideal hours. To expect our employees to do their jobs and meet expectations. But 2020 took much of that way, or at the least made it harder for people to do meet our expectations.

This year, make sure you truly show your appreciation for what other people do for you. Yes, having expectations is natural and necessary, especially when you are managing people. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t regularly and genuinely acknowledge your employees’ efforts. Everyone wants to be validated, and you can do for that your employees simply by saying “Thanks for doing ___________________” and “Excellent work on ___________________.”

Keep educating yourself

If you have been in survival mode, personal development may not have been at the top of your list. Or maybe you have just reach a certain level and feel you’ve learned enough. Don’t fall into that trap. Make it a point to take advantage of any training your organization offers. Request to attend a workshop or purchase a training program.

Or learn without spending a dime: Attend free webinars. Follow your competitors and industry-specific periodicals and websites on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Read blogs and news sites. You’ll receive a wealth of information with little effort on your part.

Grow leaders

So many managers, especially new ones, are afraid to groom leaders on their teams for fear of being replaced. However, you will be much more successful if you oversee a group of leaders than if you are responsible for a group of followers.

Delegate challenging tasks and offer training opportunities that increase employees’ knowledge and skills. Let them take the lead on a project or during a meeting. Seek their input on decisions and when you are problem solving. Empower them to meet your goals the way they see fit. Every day you have the opportunity to help your employees become stronger employees. Don’t waste it.


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