The Holiday Rush

It really is a blur isn't it.  How the holiday season can come and go so quickly and of course with work piled on top of that, stress can reach it's max.

Imagine the leader who understands balance and that the rush you feel wrapping up year end and the month of December is coupled with the stress of family, gifts, money, parties and more.  This would be the leader who has planned what December can look like for their team by brainstorming what roadblocks could pop up....and more importantly, by clearly identifying 2 things:

1. the expectations for the month - critical goals and deadlines - far enough in advance so that timelines can coincide and be met
2. what needs to happen in the first week of January - number of appointments or cold calls, number of meetings, goal numbers, milestones....so that the team can feel they have a timeframe that extends beyond the season.

Sitting here this week writing this blog, in my business I know people don't want to hear a pitch from me.  I am happy to spread holiday cheer and thank people for thier business, their time and their trust.  I have worked to fill January so that when the time comes, I am focused and back in the game....not still in the rush of trying to start.

Eat the Elephant

Wow! The big project is here. It has so many steps that you cannot see the top rung. It is so big that it looks like it is the size of an elephant. How do you manage? How do you get your head around it? How do you get your team through this? One step at a time. Just like eating an elephant – one bite at a time.


What does that mean exactly? Well, don’t....

• Push the project onto one person without providing detailed expectations – give instructions and review each step of the project regularly

• Set unrealistic expectations for completion – determine the timeline that makes sense by including key stakeholders in the planning process

• Take away resources to complete each part – payroll, time, people – it’s work, plan in advance to spend the resources

• Put too many pieces of the project in motion – there should be an order or process to follow.

Eat the elephant one bite at a time. It really is the only way.