As we head into December, we’re all feeling exhausted—and cognitive overload is at an all-time high. Now is the time to keep things simple and focus on what really matters most. In her November 30 “Let’s Get Growing” video, Bobbie LaPorte offer a few ways you can continue to motivate your team without overwhelming them.
Video Transcript: Focus on What’s Essential, Not Exhaustive
Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with this week’s “Let’s Get Growing” tip…where I help you take charge of your plans and accelerate your initiatives as you head into the end of this year.
Hard to believe that this week we are moving into the month of December. Would you ever have believed when we started SIP back in March that we would still be here today? And with the high likelihood that we will be here for a while longer?
That’s enough to tire out even the most resilient leader. I continue to hear from many of you that you are exhausted; that you feel like you are running out of ideas and approaches to support your team and keep them focused; that you are just plain worn out trying to deal with your own personal and professional challenges.
I get it. There is no question that we are all physically, emotionally, and psychologically tired. And, for many, you still have the year-end activities to wrap-up – PLUS the holidays upon us. With all of these competing priorities – how can you continue to ask your team to do more?
Well, the answer is: you can, and you can’t. Meaning, you need to keep work moving forward, but you can only ask people to do so many things right now. Cognitive overload is at an all-time high; many are feeling tapped out.
So, as a leader, what can you do?
One idea: keep it simple. Focus on essential vs. exhaustive. In the past, you might have naturally used this time of year to load people up with year-end tasks, change initiatives heading into a new year, challenges you need them to take on, etc.
Right now – it’s just too much.
So, here’s my tip:
- Group your most essential requests together. For example, if you have 9-10 things you need your team to focus on – place them in “groups” that make sense – like 3 groups of 3 – of related work areas (product focus, planning, people management) whatever. Take advantage of the brain’s ability to pay attention in short bursts
- Create fluency and understanding of how what you need from them relates to your overarching priorities for the team. Remember: don’t assume people know what you need from them. Their world has changed; they need to know that your priorities and direction has not. Make it very easy for them to recall.
That’s my “Get Growing” tip for this week. I’ll see you next Monday… remember to see this time as an enabler, not a liability or a time to “pause”, waiting for certainty to return.
Take care of yourself.
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