I don’t like stereotypes, putting everyone in a category rather than looking at individuals, but occasionally I display behavior that aligns, and I have to admit it. I like to look at this more as living on the edge….I’m a rebel! But I do tend to over-believe in the gas tank in my jeep. Does E really mean E? Low fuel is a big problem, but home isn’t that far away, and the gas station is on the wrong side of that really busy intersection and it will really mess up my schedule. I can make it!
But despite my rebellious ways, and good faith intentions fueled with positive thinking and maybe a little denial, what I choose to overlook is the consequence if I run out of gas. Being stranded and having to wait on help could take hours. I might be standing in the rain, or my groceries may be melting in the Florida heat, or I could miss an appointment. Well, guess what, your department’s culture is very much the same!
It’s mid-year if you’re in education and you’re getting ready to turn the corner. You fueled up in the fall, prepped all summer, reinforced as winter started, and fatigue is setting in. You started off with a team that was ready to dig in to some pretty big challenges and your energy was SCRAPPY! Somewhere along the long you may have lost the S…
With so much on your plate, can you just push through the year and try to put out fires as they come up? Do you really have time to stop and refuel now? How would you even get anyone to participate in a planned activity to refuel them when overwhelm and lack of time is probably the most shared obstacle?
I get it, no one wants to go out of their way to stop for gas when they think they can make it through. But if you’ve ever run out before the journey is done, or coasted into the station on fumes, then you understand why it feels more like survival than thriving, and that in hindsight, maybe that pit stop was more necessary than you thought.
Here are a few ways to refuel and avoid the dreaded game of trying to make it through the last few miles to the end of the year.
1. Start with a full tank! Fuel yourself with belief, connection, excitement, ownership, and a clear vision and a PLAN!
2. Create checkpoints throughout the year. You can just drive until you find a gas station at the moment you are running low, but you risk driving through Kansas and realizing there’s no gas for hours… (ask me how I know that, haha!) If you wait until things are getting out of alignment, it may be during playoffs, during conferences, during evaluations, etc. with no time at all to effectively detour and refuel. Planning ahead and knowing when things tend to be difficult and preemptively setting up a time to reconnect, excite, reestablish ownership, and get back to clearly seeing that vision, can bring everyone back to the core of the mission and purpose.
3. Celebrate, often, with meaning and emotion! It’s not enough to just recognize teams, leaders, milestones in some sort of monthly newsletter. It’s emotions that drive our motivation and our purpose. Think of ways to make celebrations FEEL like real celebrations and keep them going all year long! Many mini-wins create big awesome wins at the end of the year. Recognizing contributions leads to people contributing more. Calling out lack of contributions leads to, guess what? Less contribution.
4. Make it a part of the yearly plan. You put out so much effort to get fueled up and ready at the start of the year with your kick off event! Kick off the second half of the year just like the first half. It’s great to top off that tank throughout the year to stay fueled, but don’t forget to pull off and check the oil, wash the windows, kick the tires a bit too and really be prepared for whatever this part of the journey throws at you.
5. Check in often, just like you plug your car into that little machine that tells you if any codes are being set off. Ask how’s your tank? How’s your gas mileage? If you’re running out of alignment or with a nail in a tire, then you’re probably burning through that gas pretty quick. See what your leadership and team members need to safely and effectively stay on the road to your destination this year. Maybe they just want to go over a different route to take, or clarify directions, or talk about the journey. Frequent check-ins will keep things on track before you have to call in that tow truck!
I know you’re strong and have made it through some really tough years, and if you need to power through, you’ll make it. But at what cost and at what level will you finish the year? Will you be growing and thriving and energized, or simply trying to make it there? Will you lose anyone along the way?
And the real test is this: Will you be growing and building on to what you created this year come fall, or starting over trying to get everyone engaged and energized all over again? Are you getting better every year, or just cycling the same year over and over? Fuel makes a difference.
Make sure you stop for gas.
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