September! With the summer period behind us in the northern hemisphere, there tends to be re-newed focus as we prepare for the final four months of the year. For sure it feels different this time and there’s trepidation as Covid-19 continues its unpredictable path, but we’re still energised to achieve some big goals before the festive season arrives.
For leaders, this applies to our organisations, as well as to personal and family goals. This is a time when we take stock and refine the goals we are seeking to achieve between now and the end of the year, making sure that we, and those we lead, are all moving in the same direction. It’s the time to get ready for success.
Some relevant questions at this time.
- What results do you want your team, division or organisation to achieve between now and December 31st?
- What key steps do you need your team, division or organisation to take to achieve those results?
- What steps do you, as a leader, need to take to create the environment that makes it easy for others to achieve those results?
How easily can you answer these questions? Which ones are woolly round the edges and need sharpened up? Which ones are already crystal-clear? Which ones are nestling in the dark recesses of your head, not yet shared with those who will help realise them? Which ones are already understood and owned by those who will deliver them?
How do you feel about the results you want to achieve? What’s driving that feeling? If your feelings are more on the negative side, what information or support do you need to move the needle towards the positive side? Where can you get that support?
If you’re feeling positive and energised, how can you share that with the people you are leading so that you can be confident they share your positivity too?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on any/all of the above as that will help me to source and share information that is most relevant to you over the next few months. As a guide, my research and passion are on the people-side of organisational life, so that’s where I can share most easily.
Just one thing I’d put out there as a starter for 10. Everything we want our teams to achieve begins with our leadership. We create the environment that enables the people we lead to succeed. The way we behave establishes the way others behave. The vision we set excites people to achieve and the boundaries we set gives them the security to know where the limits sit. These fundamentals apply no matter how senior we are, or how senior the people we lead are.
So, achieving results between now and the end of the year begins with us. That’s why, as we look forward to the rest of 2020, we need to invest in ourselves too. Make sure you take time for you – your well-being, your learning, your goals.
And please do let me know the key themes that are most important to you, so that I can be sure to research and share on issues that matter most.