Summertime Is Over: 3 Ways To Get Your Team Organized And Focused

We are all in the same boat at this time of year. We still have sand in our shoes, sun screen in our hair, and our faces are sun kissed.  The summer is great.  We relaxed, we partied, we shared great times with friends and family, and we did NOTHING for our business. Sure, you probably booked some deals and prospected a few good clients but let’s be honest – the summer was SLOW.

Now it is over. The leaves are changing, the air is getting crisper, football is here – and there are only 4 months left in the year…scratch that, 3 ½ months…tick, tock, tick, tock.

So, what is your plan to get your team back in the game and out of summer time mode? Here are some tips to help get their heads out of the sand and back to the goal:

1. Remind Them Why They Like Their Work

Yeah, work is hard and it is not always fun, but your employees like working there. If they didn’t, they would leave.  Remind them why they like it. Hold a team meeting and point out how good the summer was and all the good times everyone had with their families but also the company outing, team building, so on. Then, point out that the holidays are right around the corner and those are also fun times for friends, family and the company.  But that does not leave much time to hit company goals and there is still a ton of work to do. Get them motivated to work hard, focus, and get the company in a good spot so they can continue to enjoy these certain times of the year.

2. Create Chaos

One way to wake a team up is to get them out of their comfortable routine and create some chaos in their lives.  And what I mean by chaos is get them out of their comfort zone. It helps them to manage their time and give them a push in the right direction. It also invigorates the team with new oxygen and sights.  You can do this with a number of ways, get creative – a new spiff contest, an additional goal, change desks, etc. I once worked for a company that would not allow you to sit at the same desk for more than 2 quarters.  It is amazing how a change of scenery will inspire you and get your work juices flowing.

3. Reduce It To The Ridiculous

Whether you believe it or not, we are almost at Q4. There is not a lot of time left to hit your goals. If you look ahead at the work that needs to be accomplished, it can be overwhelming. So, we break it down into daily, weekly, monthly goals that you can attain and get you to where you need to get to. Get a plan in place, get the team on the same page, no excuses not to execute, and follow up.  It is nearly impossible to knock down a brick wall with one blow, but that wall will go down every time if you knock it down brick by brick.

It has been a great summer, and the end of the year will be great, too.  But the EOY is always more enjoyable when you go into it with goals accomplished and your team is growing. Nobody wants to look back and have regret. Regret for not getting focused after summer to finish the year strong – don’t let it happen to you and your team.