Year End Reflections_What’s Ahead for 2022

Every year around this time I reflect upon the previous year and assess my performance.  I enjoy this time of self-reflection and try to dedicate a good amount of time to thinking about what went well and what I am grateful for and what was challenging.  This process usually entails me digging back into various artifacts of each project to get reacquainted with them.

I had the opportunity to serve as a project manager on four initiatives all varying in scope in 2021.  I am grateful to have met so many talented colleagues across the institute and have a chance learn more about the inner workings of Dana-Farber.  In reflecting on my projects, my primary finding is that while I am an effective project manager, there are always areas where I can adapt my techniques across the various projects at Dana-Farber.  Based on this finding, I have developed a plan to focus in on some topics I’d like to explore more deeply.

I am grateful for all the resources we have available at DFCI such as the Project University classes.  Since I have already taken most of the classes in the Project Management track, I will instead explore classes in the Process Improvement and Soft Skills tracks this year. You can enroll for these classes and more via HealthStream by searching for the class title in the catalog tab.

• Influencing Without Authority
• Presenting and Public Speaking
• Delegation
• Current State Analysis Part 1: Qualitative
• Creating Process Maps
• Training Design and Delivery
• Team Dynamics

DFCI Learning and Organizational Development also offers classes on some very interesting topics that are also assessable via HealthStream.

• Introduction to Emotional Intelligence
• Introduction to Mindfulness at Work
• Conflict Management

LinkedIn learning is another great resource with a wide variety of courses.  My top picks for 2022 are as follows.

• OneNote 2016 Essential Training
• Inclusive Mindset
• Top Tips for Creating Engaging Video Meetings
• Writing with Impact

Lastly, I will also be taking the DISC and Clifton Strengths assessments self-assessments to glean some additional insights.

• The DISC assessment measures your dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness and helps you to better understand your communication style and build more effective relationships.
• The Clifton Strengths Finder helps you identify your top five strengths so you can be clear on exactly where you have the greatest potential to make the biggest impact.

One final step in this process is to create a vision board to capture my goals for the upcoming year but with phrases and pictures that you can easily cut out from magazines etc.  This is a fun way to stay mindful of my goals, so I don’t lose sight of them throughout the year.  Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and productive year ahead!