Well, here we are again at the last couple months of the year; that time of the year when you’re approaching the mindset to lay back, take a few days or weeks off, decrease the hours of your staff, and increase the relaxed nature of doing business! But, who can really afford to do that? As is the case with many businesses, this is also the last quarter to record attractive revenues, and to others it’s also the time of year that they have to get rid of much of their inventory, and get as much product off of their books as possible. We call it the holiday season, but, to most enterprising executives it’s anything but.
So how do you do this like the forward thinking, top level executive you are? Well, you do the opposite of what your instincts tell you to do. Your instincts tell you not to take a two or a three week vacation. So, put that in the books, and pad it with an extra week just for good sound rest and relaxation. You need it. Your family needs and wants you, don’t short change them. However, to feel comfortable about this decision, you must have in place, capable and trusted managers and directors who will run this business as you would, in your absence. If you do not have the luxury of capable and independent directors working for you, then it’s time to fire your friends and/or family (because that’s most likely the case, if they’re not capable but still working for you), and hire a couple of people that can properly manage your very capable staff.
This point brings us to instinct number two, which is normally to work the blood, sweat, and tears out of your staff. Reject that instinct. If this holiday season is important enough for you to take weeks off, and want to be around your friends and family, then please keep that in mind about those who might be working for you. If your business is capable of allowing such flexibility, shorten up the hours, offer an extra day off, create a holiday atmosphere for those who are working, and do something that shows appreciation for your staff during this time of year, as well. For many people, the co-workers at their jobs are their family, and if you can foster this type of atmosphere by acknowledging them as family, you can allow this season to be everything they need, even while at work. Those who serve with joy and passion, serve with excellence. So take the time to plan and create this type of a workplace, and then empower your management team to maintain it.
Lastly, you’ll have an instinct to feel behind once things have returned to normal after the holiday season. You’ll be rushing every task on your desk and you’ll begin to place an exerted amount of pressure on your team to make up for lost time, and therefore eliminating the peace and rest that was accumulated during the holiday season. Please resist this instinct. The proper step is to plan for this time prior to the holiday season. It’s that proactive approach that will keep you organized and of a sound mind and temperament when you get back to normal operations. You’ll find that the time off, the decreased hours, the fun and family-like environment, and even the closing of your businesses doors during the holidays will provide the proper amount of energy that will foster your businesses growth and efficiency for the many months to follow, until this time, next year.
You’re reading this in the proper amount of time to make some appropriate changes for this upcoming holiday season, so I challenge those looking for a new way to manage this season, to give a few of these options a try.
Until next time, plan, build, and continue to prosper.
Andre Barefield