We have flipped the calendar page over for the second last time in 2018. We’re now on the home stretch. I do love this time of year, it’s spring, daylight savings kicks in for many of us and there is a more festive feel in the air. That being said there are many distractions to navigate too, Melbourne Racing Carnival starts in October and soon after that the festive season gets into full swing as of late it seems to be starting early in November. Attention turns to fashion, parties and how to manage hangovers!
This quarter is an important one though. We need to ensure we bring home the results to make the year one to be proud of, even if that means not quite hitting the target on the head but being proud of the effort that has been invested over 2018. We know what we have to do and we should certainly be sure of the actions we need to take at this time of year.
More often than not, our attention turns to 2019 and what needs to happen to ensure we start the year off with a bang. This is certainly part of my focus at the moment whilst I am working hard to finish the year in the best way possible, my attention is also focused on how I can create momentum leading into 2019 whilst navigating all of the same distractions that you have too.
As I’m sure you know, this isn’t an easy task. Things always take longer than you think to get things happening to create that momentum. I am working with a business to create culture change at the moment and whilst the leader would love it to happen in the click of a finger, there are processes we need to put in place, challenges to navigate and ensuring that the simple things are done consistently well to create a sustainable and supportive culture for his team.
The war for talent is certainly on and staff retention and acquisition is always a challenge that is on a leader’s radar. Providing a ‘cool-place’ to work isn’t enough to entice people to you and to entice them to stay. Ping-pong tables, yoga classes, massage chairs; beanbags and nap spaces only go so far. All of these gimmicks need to be supported by strong leadership, a supportive and inclusive culture, clear behavioural expectations and the practices and systems that will ensure all of this comes together. We can’t have one without the other and this is what people are looking for now.
All of this demands us as leaders to be better. To think differently, to think strategically and ensure we have the right actions in place to support and attract the biggest investment we will ever make in our business – our team.
To start creating the momentum you need to launch into 2019, ask yourself these questions and consider what you can leverage and if you need to start implementing change to ensure your leadership and workplace is a positive example of what is expected in the 21stcentury of now.
- As a leader, are you calming the chaos or amplifying it?
- Are you a strong role model of your culture and values?
- Do you have the right behaviours, practices and systems in place to support your culture?
- Have you been providing feedback in a timely manner?
- Have your team been ‘busy’ but this activity hasn’t translated into results?
- Have you been supporting the mental health of your team?
- Have you met the service expectations of your clients?
- Are there too many excuses being used for not meeting commitments, busy being one of them?
- Would you consider you and your team to be productive, reactive or somewhere in between?
- How do you and the team handle challenges? Are you collaborative in finding the solution or do people do this individually?
- What is your retention rate like and more importantly your engagement rate?
- Are you creating brand advocates of your team? Are they speaking favourably of you and the business internally and externally?
- Why would new employees want to come and work for you? Your response needs to be more than ‘we pay well’.
There should be some very rich information for you in these answers. They’re not simply what are you doing well and what do you need to improve, these are more than that. Get curious and get honest. Explore the questions and get feedback. And most of all know you are not alone, there is support there for you. I am only an email or phone call away.