Are We There Yet?

Last week, it was back to school for our kids.

After the first day of school, my nine-year-old son Jack, jumped in the car, and asked "Mum, when are the Easter holidays?" 

ARE YOU KIDDING? This boy has just had nine weeks of school holidays; off the back of a year where he spent more time fishing and crabbing than in the classroom! Lol 

Jack’s question reminded me of something that I believe as leaders, we need to keep front of mind and that is that EVERYONE NEEDS SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO.  

I call this the power of anticipation and it’s a super power. 

If you can harness this power as a leader, then you'll create a highly engaged, motivated, enthusiastic team who are keen to come to work and perform at their very best. 

Like Jack, I think most of us look forward to our holidays. In fact, they say you should always book your next holiday as soon as you come back from the one you've just had. 

But what if you could create an environment in your team where each and every person has something to look forward to in their professional role at work?

It doesn't have to be something huge or something that costs a lot of money. 

Recently, I was speaking to a client about their weekly team meeting via Zoom and she shared with me that it was the highlight of her week. A few weeks ago, the meeting was cancelled by her leader (who was probably too busy or had something else on) and she was devastated. She said that this surprised her because she didn't realise just how much the ritual meant to her. 

So, I want you to ask you, for each and every team member:

• Is there something you can do to create a feeling of anticipation?

• What can you give your people to look forward to? 

(And in the meantime, I'm going to talk with Jack and hopefully he discovers something to look forward to at school; in addition to the next round of holidays!)

Champagne and Sunshine,

Midja x