5 Proven Strategies to Beat the September Leadership Blues
It’s a fallacy to believe that all leaders are happily engaged, inspired, and effective at driving towards their goals and objectives without any bumps during the year. Yet how is that some leaders are much better than others in maintaining a high energy level and a strong positive attitude? What are they doing to counter-act those times when they feel overwhelmed and/or anxiety sets in?
With September upon us, the answers to those questions are even more important. September often feels like the start of a new year as our holidays come to an end and we need to return to a much more serious busy life. For many leaders, it’s a time that often results in several emotional swings not customarily experienced at other times.
Below are five proven strategies for you to consider that several successful leaders utilize:
1. Reset Your Thinking – Review your goals and objectives for the year and assess where you stand. Remember in business, we have a budget and an ongoing forecast which allows us to incorporate changes in the business and environment we play in. Don’t be afraid to recast your forecast and establish reasonable goals of what can be accomplished between now and the end of the year. Create some flexibility and begin to set some smaller goals as you work towards your year-end objectives.
2. Network and Socialize – As humans, we need to interact with other people. More importantly, we need people who are able to listen to us. Join a peer advisory board that will allow you to share your ideas and help you work through some of your issues and opportunities. It can be very lonely at the top. Participating in a peer advisory board should not be regarded as a perk but rather as a necessity of a growing leader looking to be successful in a rapidly changing world. If that proves to be impossible (highly unlikely) than at a minimum, organize a few lunches a week with friends and colleagues.
3. Exercise your Mind and Body – Mindfulness is an excellent tool used by many people to manage the symptoms of stress and anxiety. While it may seem like a mundane task of sitting still and focusing on your breathing, mindfulness, and meditation has proven to have a positive impact on mental wellbeing. Physical activity is absolutely imperative to not only managing your current frame of mind but also your long-term health in preventing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and possibly even dementia. Create a routine that enables you to set aside an hour a day for some physical activity.
4. Avoid the “NOISE” – Stay away from reading, watching and listening to the media throughout the day. The amount of so-called important news inundating us throughout the day is unsatisfying and unlikely to help you with feeling positive and motivated. The overload of useless information is cluttering our brains.
5. Express some Gratitude – Studies have shown that expressing Gratitude allows you to increase your sense of positivity, relish good experiences, improve your health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. Small gestures in your day may include: a thank you note, recognition of an individual in front of their peers and/or family for something they’ve done, a helping hand to someone of need and the list goes on…
We’ve summarized five easy strategies to change your mindset and get you motivated to perform. So, let’s take a deep breath, enjoy the opportunities before us, and restart our engines! Our employees, families, and communities are depending on us.
