Hey there,
Happy New Year! š„³
I donāt know how you feel about 2022 - but I know that we all got a bit stronger and a bit wiser in 2021. It was a challenging year for most of us. No matter whether you are excited about 2022, nervous or still tired from 2021. Give yourself time to adjust. I am a runner and in 2021 I learned something new about running: Always start slow, give yourself time to adjust and get into the movement. Your body needs time to āwake upā when you put on your shoes and go for a run.
With a new year, itās similar: Take it easy, start slow and give yourself time to adjust. That will help you to be truly ready for whatever 2022 will throw at you, as the months go by.
To help you start 2022 on a strong note, I went through all Weekly Briefings of 2021 and pulled out the Top 12 resources for you, based on what you read the most:
Top 12 resources from 2021
šĀ The Ultimate Annual Review by Steve Schlafman
Top Takeaways:Ā It really is THE ULTIMATE Annual Review - Iāve done it 4 times now and I swear by it. It takes me 3 sessions each 3-4 hours, but its so so so worth it, it turns your year from āsomehow happenedā to āI nailed itā.
š 50 Best Words of Appreciation for Employees You Can't Ignore by Vantage Circle
Top Takeaways:Ā Super actionable! Really has pre-written wording that you can take inspiration from!
šĀ New managers, hereās how to run your first team meeting by Claire Lew
Top Takeaways:Ā Get to know each other using these thoughtful questions
šĀ How to Hold Yourself Accountable by Intelligent Change
Top Takeaways:Ā Do you know about Ulysses pact? You can and should make it easy for yourself to not get distracted and remove all exposure to things that would lead you astray.
šĀ How to influence without authority by Matthew Tse (PM at Atlassian)
Top Takeaways:Ā Matthew shows the difference between authority and influence and points out that all influence starts with understanding. He also shares 3 influencer styles: Psychologist, Pitcher and Activist that he has seen at Atlassian and what you can learn from them.
š Job burnout how to spot it and take action by Mayo Clinic
Top takeaways: Brief summary of most important causes, symptoms and avenues for action - very much to the point
šĀ 4 Questions that Build Psychological Safety (Virtual Team Toolkit)Ā byĀ Caveman in a suit
Top Takeaway: This is a very hands-on exercise that you can do with your team in 60 min, which opens up the conversations on psych safety with your team and builds trust
šĀ 15 Ways to Give Negative Feedback, Positively (Incl. Examples) by Jeremy Sutton, PhD
Top Takeaway:Ā Donāt wrap negative feedback in praise (sandwich), itās not effective
š Clarifying team mandates from agile team development
Top Takeaway:Ā There are many different way you relate to each other when collaborating from advising to telling/informing to delegating. This resource shows you all the different kinds there are and pushes you to be explicit about it.
š Psychologists Explain How to Stay Calm In An Argument by Power of Positivity
Top Takeaway:Ā The only aspect of a conflict we can control is how we react.Ā This isnāt to say that overriding this āautomatic and unconsciousā process is easy; itās not, BUT there are clear & actionable things you can do!
š How to Stop Micromanaging Your Team - by Darja Gutnick
Top Takeaway: A piece our team helped pull together featuring a framework that enables you to delegate even to junior team members or engage people on your team that disengaged. Featured on The Startup, Medium.
š A 1:1 template that definitely couldnāt have been an email by Darja Gutnick
Top Takeaway:Ā This is a template that helps you gauge how people on your team feel, it goes beyond the ābusiness as usualā 1-on-1 conversations.
News from Bunch
What's more important tech or people? In the last episode of the year 2021 for our Teams at Work podcast, our founders Anthony Reo and Darja Gutnick (She-Her) sat down with Ryan Donovan, CTO at Hootsuite, a seasoned and product-minded tech leader.
Ryan shared many personal experiences that defined him early on in his career, as well as his recent lessons learned leading hundreds of engineers remotely at Hootsuite.
šCheck out our full podcast episode with Ryan Donovan here.
Tips from the Bunch AI Coach:
The most saved tip of all 2021 is ā3 Phrases to Get Buy-In for a New Directionā by Mathias Meyer, Executive Leadership Coach to CTOs and Technical Founders, Writer & Startup Advisor.
Check it out in the AI coach app š under Explore > Top Saved Tips:
Have a great start to the year!
Darja