September Vibe
In Canadian culture, September is a month that many of us approach much like January;
there are new beginnings, hopes and transitions that many of us anticipate, sometimes with more than a bit of dread.
Anticipation, apprehension and inspiration is often the emotional cocktail for September.
September is an opportunity to create a vision for the next ten months.
New, clean notebooks and new pens; opportunity.
New responsibilities and transitions; change.
The past few years have been marked by uncertainty on so many fronts. This September has the potential to surprise us with the ongoing need for agility.
After years of intense pivoting, many of us are tired and some of us are wound pretty tight. Many, particularly those in leadership, have had pressures and responsibilities that could never have been anticipated.
This is a tough backdrop for the demands of September.
What do we need in our leadership tool belts to navigate this September with the greatest opportunity for success?
How do we stay clear-minded so that we can stay effective?
Here are some of the tools and questions that I would love to assist every leader to wrap their heads and hearts around today:
Acknowledge that September has unique pressures. Self-care and self-compassion are going to help you exercise greater levels of effectiveness than self-deprecation.
What resources do you have?
Do you have someone who can help you to think outside the box when it is necessary?
When you need encouragement, who can support you?
Awareness of our own strengths, weaknesses, and the wisdom to ask for help when and where we need it. Self-awareness helps us remain agile and asking for help is essential. Are you thinking of your team as a team? What skills are available? What skills are untapped?
Ask broad questions. So many of us are caught in a trap of putting out fires…. To make the best decision, it helps to start with wide open questions. This helps us to think long-term and then act in the now. What is most important? What result do we want? What are the possible barriers to overcome? The answers to these questions will inform the purpose of the initiative, rather than creating busy work that is less focused. Classic book here is Simon Sinek’s, Start with Why.
Emotional Agility. There are a lot of challenging conversations happening all the time in the workplace these days. Feeling triggered is inevitable. To dissipate the impact of feeling triggered, it helps to be able to articulate, in a safe place, what we are feeling. I really like the book Emotional Agility by Susan David to further explore this skillset.
Empathy. Emotions have been running high. Every person in your workplace has a story. Like it or not, they carry their story of their aged parents or their children with them. So do you. Some of us are able to handle more risk and uncertainty than others. Some of us are carrying pressures that no one knows about. We all need a little more understanding these days.
(Note: This is not a free pass for poor or unfinished work. Accountability and empathy are not enemies. Conversation and understanding help to bridge the gap here.)
How will you take these tools with you into today? This month? This year?
How can you keep these thoughts front of mind and use them when the moment presents itself?
What words will you use to describe this September? How might you intentionally chart your course this month?
Join me this September for 3 days of action packed, facilitated learning. Please check out the Events page for more details and registration. Early bird pricing ends in on September 10.
This workshop qualifies for the Canada Job Grant which covers 2/3 the cost of training for participants who qualify.
https://www.alberta.ca/canada-alberta-job-grant
Contact me for more details.
