Tips for making 2007 a successful year at work

• Let employees in on the game plan. “Spend time with your staff discussing company goals,” said Al Saverino, regional vice president for staffing firm Robert Half International’s operations in Woodbridge, N.J. “Without having a constant dialogue, you miss out on the best ideas.”

• Hire the best. “The first tenet of management is to get work done through others,” said Martin Yate, author of the Knock ’Em Dead series of books on workplace development. “Learn as much as you can about the interview and selection procedure.”

• Understand your market. “The most important questions for small-business owners are: ‘What is my market telling me about my business?’ and ‘What do I need to do with my staff to be nimble and ahead of what the market is telling me?’ ” said Bernadette Kenny, senior vice president of Human Resources for staffing firm Adecco.

• Be prepared for a disaster. The Department of Homeland Security recommends companies develop and rehearse a game plan. Consider how you would reach employees, re-route work and access computer systems. Perhaps your company needs a back-up supplier or storage site. Make it possible for employees to work from home, and cross-train core workers to pick up various duties.

• Take risks. “You have to be brave and courageous,” said Beth Schoenfeldt, co-owner of Ladies Who Launch, an Internet-based consulting business for women entrepreneurs. “Do something that scares you every day, and then push yourself to do more. You can’t play it safe or you’ll get … passed by everyone else.”

• Assess the market. Know the competition.

• Focus. Richard St. John, author of Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky and Rich, says “It’s OK to dabble when you start out, but you need to focus on one thing and do it well.”

• Serve. “Service is thinking about others and working on their behalf to deliver something they want, need or value,” St. John said. “Success isn’t about me, me, me.”

• Perform a career checkup. Lynn Brown of outplacement firm Right Management in Parsippany, N.J., says the new year is “an ideal time to take a realistic look at where you are now, where you expect to be going forward, and how satisfied you are with both.”

• Should I stay or should I go? The Society for Human Resources Management found that nearly three-fourths of employees are looking for a new job. Yate, the author and consultant, suggests that those in the hunt spend at least a half-hour each week learning about the art of the job search. “Start recognizing yourself as a financial entity that has to survive in the work force for at least a half a century,” he said.

• Update skills. “Ask yourself, ‘Do I need to learn a new computer skill or management skill this year?’ ” said Adecco’s Kenny. “Create a personal learning agenda.”

• Present yourself professionally. Attire matters. Challenger, Gray & Christmas says it’s time to cover up or remove tattoos.

• Show up for company functions. Don’t skip the boss’s annual picnic.

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