ESCAPE the Holiday Productivity Blahs
It's that time of year again: the time of holiday parties,
Christmas cards to write, shopping to do (even online...at
work!), vacations, family commitments, and more stress. It is no
wonder that a recent survey by Accountemps found that 44% of
executives feel employees are less productive the week before a
major holiday.
While this may be true, there are ways that we as leaders can
counteract all of the distractions and stress and help people be
as productive now as at any time of the year. Following are some
suggestions to keep the focus and results high as the bells ring
louder and the shopping days disappear. Rather than avoiding the
challenges or denying the distractions the season offers,
ESCAPE the problems by applying the suggestions below.
Expect good results. Set high expectations and you will
typically get great results. Set low ones and you'll get the
matching results too. As a leader, one of your responsibilities
is to set clear expectations and goals for others. However
successful you have been at communicating and gaining
understanding on these expectations, the holidays require some
additional expectation setting. Give people a sense of where
they are on their annual goals, and encourage them to finish the
year strong. As you set and reinforce these expectations,
remember to give people the support and resources they need to
succeed. And of course, lead by example. Have high expectations
of yourself to finish the year strong.
Share spirit. While some people have a bit of a cynical,
stressed out, scrooge attitude towards the holidays, most find
their spirits lifted and thoughtfulness is at an annual high.
Encourage people to show their spirit and sense of goodwill when
communicating with others inside the organization. Even more
importantly, encourage those sales people, Customer Service
professionals and others who communicate with Customers to use
that holiday good cheer in their interactions. Customers will
notice and everyone wins.
Celebrate! You probably have a holiday party at a
restaurant or hotel, which is great. But consider doing an
on-site workday event too. There are many options -"Secret
Santa", a white elephant gift exchange, or daily afternoon
holiday snack break with different people bringing things each
day are just three suggestions. A little time spent here can
help build relationships, bring people closer together and focus
them on their work for the rest of the day and week. Make sure
to let people who are interested in these kinds of events plan
them - don't delegate it to the unwilling or overworked because
it won't have the same results.
Acknowledge the challenges and distractions. Let people
know that you realize the holidays are a tough time of year to
stay focused. Share your shopping and social calendar with them,
so they understand that you feel the seasonal stress that they
feel too. When people know you understand their situation, you
gain credibility when talking about expectations and year end
goals.
Present positive anticipation for the New Year. Give
people something to look forward to. Get them excited about a
target or project that will make a real difference early in the
New Year. Giving people this forward focus will help the focus
now, but will really help people past the doldrums that can come
after January 1.
Engage outside your organization. Take the lead by
organizing a group to lead a toy campaign, contribute to a food
drive, or better yet, do something as a team in the community.
Your group will feel proud of their efforts, pleased that their
organization supported and encouraged the activity, and the team
will improve their relationships which has a long term impact on
team health and productivity.
These suggestions individually can help you navigate the holiday
season more effectively. Taken together, however, they will help
you ESCAPE the pitfalls and make December a valuable and
productive close to the year and a jump start to the new one.