I need one of these right about now.
Hit the December Reset Button on your Business
Every new quarter, I make a big fuss about getting your Quarter 4 strategic planning done, and I stand by the importance of that message. But also, I owe you an apology because I forgot to tell you one important thing about your Q4 planning.
For most businesses, December is not a real month.
You may observe some designated holiday time. Many team members may also take time off during the last couple of weeks of the year. But even for those who do work during those last couple of weeks, it’s not always the most productive time of the year. Between potlucks and flu season and gift-buying and photo-sharing and people being out, it just feels… different.
For those businesses in their “busy season,” everything is urgent and the number one focus is taking care of clients and customers, so there’s less time available to work on more strategic issues.
For businesses in more of their “quiet season,” customers and clients are going to be distracted right now and it may be hard to get their attention.
You probably have, at most, three weeks to get stuff done in December. (And for most businesses I work with, that’s generous.)
Which also means Q4 is not a real quarter.
Sorry guys. At least you’ll know for next year. But in the meantime, is there anything one can do to make the most out of this half-assed month we find ourselves in? Of course there is!
If, like me, you have big ambitions for your business but also want to be realistic about your team’s time constraints this month, today is the PERFECT day to stop living a lie and make a game plan for how December is actually gonna go down.
It’s already December 3rd, so let’s hit the December Reset Button (This can also be done any-old-time!). Here’s how to do it...
Step 1 - Revisit your Q4 Plans and Adjust
I’ve already written lots of words about how it’s ok to adjust your quarterly plans, so that part is out of way. Right now is when you need to get real about what’s possible and what you need to complete by the end of the year. Trust me, deciding to say “no” to your favorite goals TODAY is way less painful than deluding yourself for the next four weeks and feeling shitty on New Year’s Eve. (Or worse, trying to push your team to complete something that’s just impossible.)
Take a moment to identify the most important things you need to shift by the end of the year. Cut out everything else. Now is the time to be brutally honest.
Step 2 - Take Stock of ALL the Projects
Your team is currently working on projects related to your quarterly plan, but there’s likely a whole bunch of other projects they’re working on too. They may even have projects they think are important but actually aren't!
Ask your leadership team to make a list of all of the projects they’re working on right now. It might be client-facing work, it might be quarterly-plan-related work, or it might just be other projects that are important and need to get done. Call a 45-minute meeting to share your newly-adjusted Q4 plan AND to go through all of the “in-flight” projects and get uncomfortably serious about what stays and what goes. Remember… YOU ONLY HAVE TWO AND A HALF WEEKS OF ACTUAL WORK TIME LEFT.
You simply can’t say “yes” to everything. Keeping all the things on the list is a lie. Everyone needs to walk out of that meeting with a list of projects they need to stop working on. Let’s free up that mental space for the important, better things.
Step 3 - Go Go Go!
Now, you and your team should have a renewed sense of clarity about how you’re going to make this a powerful and transformative December. It might not look the way you thought it would back in late September when you were still planning and dreaming, but that ship has sailed, baby.
What if, instead of feeling crappy about what you didn’t do, this December reframe made it the best end-to-the-year yet?!
When you get clear on what’s no longer essential (or possible!), you give your team permission to get laser-focused on what is. You also open up space and time during a season when things can feel hard for so many.
Not to mention, you’ll feel fantastic from the sense of accomplishment when the year comes to a close.
Not a bad vibe to have going into a shiny new year.