In our home, we don’t get much TV time. With a busy career, an entrepreneurial husband, and two teenagers involved in numerous activities, screen time is infrequent. But every now and then, my family gets the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a movie night. The other night, as I enjoyed that coveted family time, I had a realization. In every film, the most pivotal and significant parts often occur toward the end. You spend an hour or more invested in a story line, then you find satisfaction in the conclusion.
I found the thought interesting because we often do not follow this timeline in our businesses. Often, the last quarter of the year becomes a time when some of us slow down. Customers are in the office less, and everyone’s a little more focused on the holidays versus their team’s goals, strategies, and performance.
What a shame that you could be missing the most important part – the pivotal cinematic climax! If we can shift our perception of year-end from least important to most important, we can make a huge impact on the following year. Here are four helpful tips to finish the year strong:
1. Recalibrate Goals
Goals are tricky. If you set them too high, you can become demotivated. If you set them too low, you won’t be as successful as you could be. That’s why it’s completely acceptable to pause and recalibrate your goals. Take a look at the goals you and your team have already been tackling. Which goals are you closest to reaching? Which goals at this point are unreachable? Have you hit certain goals that don’t seem to be affecting growth in a positive way? Do you feel that some have proven to be more valuable than others? As you continue to strive toward a strong finish, evaluate what’s worked for you this year, then incorporate those successful strategies into your plans for next year.
2. Finish Strong
As business leaders and employees, it can be easy to let things sort of “shut down” in November and December. You recognize that people are going to be away, that things will slip through the cracks, or that folks simply aren’t interested in doing anything other than relaxing during the holidays. However, communication and connection at the end of the year remain a deeply important part of finishing strong, keeping employees engaged, and starting off the new year on the right foot.
3. Encourage Your Team
Before everyone goes off for the holidays, you have the perfect opportunity as a leader to communicate your hopes for the new year, and get your employees focused on how to kick things off strong. Whether it’s taking the time to have meaningful reviews, opening your doors for a chat about ways to improve, or taking some time to outline your expectations and goals, don’t mistake the end of the year as a time to go dark. Instead, make it a chance to spread a message of motivation on top of all that holiday cheer.
4. Refresh Your Mind
It is okay to enjoy the holidays with your friends and family. Yes, I am talking about taking a break from work. Some call it “vacation.” I would argue that taking a break is not only good for you, but also for your team. Studies show that employees who take time off from work report feeling less stress, less anxiety, and fewer instances of depression. They’re also less likely to seek another job. Time off is good for you and your team members. Encourage your teammates to take some PTO around the holidays!
Adopting some of these tips will help you finish 2021 strong. If you’re struggling to let go or schedule time for some of these intentional steps, contact us and we’ll be happy to help coach you and your team through it!
A great way to keep yourself and your team engaged, goal-focused, and excited to finish the year strong and create a solid plan for the coming year is our Performance Planning workshop! You can think of it as Fall Planning on steroids so that you make the end of the year the most powerful time for you and your team! Contact us today to learn more.
Wishing you a happy, productive, and peaceful year-end,
