Stay the course. Of course
As many people are (slowly) coming back from their summer vacations, where likely they spent some time on “le plage", "la spiaggia", "la playa” or simply the beach it’s also time to get back to work and get back in the game. Your game. When watching professional sports you sometimes wonder what happened during half-time (or other breaks, depending on the sport) in the locker room. How is it possible that a certain team plays so much slower and with less energy than before the break you might wonder? Do you have the same feeling when you are back from your vacation? Even though their batteries are fully charged again, for some it’s more difficult to leave their vacation memories behind and focus back on their work. Here some tips you might find helpful.
Do you have an (action) plan for this month or for this year in place? What are your (yearly) objectives? I certainly do hope that you have formalized some professional and perhaps even personal objectives. And I also hope you review them frequently. Humor me and please review what you have penciled down as your objectives. Where are you with those? Are you still on course? In many cases it’s simply a matter of looking at “where are we”, “where do we want to go to” and finally “how do we get there.” The next step is how to close the gap. Meaning, all those actions that are needed reaching your goals. Map them out and plan your next activities that shoulder all initiatives that will help you reaching your objectives.
For instance, take a close look at your objectives and rather or not you are achieving them. How far are you off course? What is needed to get back on track? Do you have a crystal clear action plan how to reach those objectives? If so, good for you and you might start to build a plan how to further exceed your goals! If not, my recommendation is to always circle back to the goals you want to achieve. This will help you to determine what is stopping you getting to the “Holy Grail”. And when you know what is missing, you can do something about it. Write down your actions, plot them together in an action plan and monitor them closely. Ideally on a weekly basis. You can do this for your own individual objectives or with your whole team together and look at your group objectives. By reviewing them frequently, you keep track of your progress and you can act where needed when you fall behind. This way you stay the course. Even when you are just back from a lovely and well-deserved vacation, fully charged again with great memories and full of good food and stories. Welcome back and happy sailing.
Happy to hear your thoughts on how you stay the course!
