If, as a manager, I have a resolution for 2008, I suppose that it would be to attain more managerial finesse. And by this term I mean, mastering the art of Looking Like I know Just What I am Doing at All Possible Moments of the Day. This goal would be a little for my employees' benefit, and a little for my own.

Managers, particularly when feeling overextended, tend to have limited brain capacity, leading to feelings of scatteredness and a resulting depletion of self-confidence. Depleted self-confidence can truly undermine one's managerial authority, which in turn could decrease managerial self-confidence even further, kickstart a total downward spiral for the manager and her employees both, and potentially lead to absolute anarchy. It would not be good.

A lot of deep breathing exercises seem to be necessary in achieving this goal, as well as a deliberate slow-down in thinking. Harried situations must be assessed with a discriminating eye, broken down into steps, and the steps carried out in proper order to reach a resolution. For example:

Harried Situation=Manager spent inordinate amount of time this afternoon watching motivational training videos with Employee A, reading through training materials, serving Employee B a meal and encouraging him to go on break, sorting through company mail, testing newly received white noise machine for office environment, locating lost office supplies for Employee A, pondering Employee A's recent dress code rebellion, encouraging (unsuccessfully) Employee A to go on break, assisting Employee B with possible GI issues, not to mention fielding a VIP phone call, all the while intending to plan a company dinner and postponing the process until just minutes before the CEO's scheduled arrival.

Step 1 to Resolution=Pour self glass of wine.
Step 2: Pick up Employee A, who is a broken record stuck on the word "up."
Step 3: Pull up allrecipes.com, query "pork chops."
Step 4: Prepare bottle for Employee B, prop up on office chair.
Step 5: Briefly peruse recipes, decide they are all too hard, and/or too time-consuming.
Step 6: Glug wine.
Step 7: Greet the CEO, announce brightly that he will be grilling, and won't that be fun!
Step 8: Dump a bunch of BBQ sauce over pork chops.
Step 9: Indiscriminately grab a grain from the shelf and a veggie from the freezer for side dishes, begin cooking as though had it planned all along.
Step 10: Set table.

Bonus Step=Move dirty pots and utensils to sink before sitting down at table.

Resolution=Enjoy lovely, well-balanced meal in company of the entire Lo. Co. Staff. Tell self, See? It's a breeze. Finish wine.

I believe with some effort, this goal for 2008 is within my reach.