What intention do you want to set…
I hosted one of the monthly Leadership Endurance Round Tables earlier this week. The focus of our discussion was on Leadership Endurance: Preparing for the holidays and the year-end sprint. We got into a great discussion about how we see the “race” we’re running and why we’re doing it which led to setting an intention for the next six weeks or so:
🤔 How do I want to show up?
🤔 What impact do I want to make?
🤔 How do I want to feel?
From there, we moved to identifying the risks to achieving those intentions. One that won’t surprise most of you was the risk that day-to-day operational tasks would get in the way.
Finally, we closed with a focus on what they each wanted to commit to in service of minimizing the risk of not achieving their intentions. Answers ranged from journaling to setting a specific deadline to saying no to new commitments that would add more “stress” to any already stressed team.
As you think about your intentions and approaches for the next several weeks...
➡️ Are you sprinting because you have some tight deadlines to meet, and there’s rest on the other side to look forward to? If so, how do you want to make sure you show up for the people around you and ensure you have the energy to finish well?
➡️ Are you pacing yourself because you know there are 6+ weeks left in the year (with a bunch of holiday time mixed in), and you are working your plan against your priorities? How do you keep the right level of momentum?
➡️ Is your team set up for a strong 2024 finish? As we’re starting to count down the working days until the end of 2024, the pressure rises to meet the deadlines and quotas that were set out for the quarter and the year.
Have you recently read the pressure valve for how you and your team are feeling?
The fourth quarter always feels challenging unless you hit your goals early in the year.
Add to that the stress that comes with the holiday season… even when we’re excited about the season.
Add to that the ongoing economic, political, and global stressors.
It may feel like a lot.
Whether you’re leading a team or an entire organization, take a minute and do a self-check and check on your team members. Does some pressure need to be released?
I hope these questions for reflection as you head into the holiday and year-end season guide you to it being what you want and need it to be.
As one participant mentioned in our session, we have the opportunity to just let the season be what it will be. We have choices, but to experience the holiday season and year end the way we want, we need to be intentional.
What intention(s) do you want to set?
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