Monday Morning Leadership
Smonday /sˈməndā/ noun
the moment when Sunday stops feeling like a Sunday and the anxiety of Monday kicks in. Urban Dictionary
Welcome back from the Thanksgiving holiday. Coffee?
I've always said, if you want to attack the U.S. Army at its most unorganized and vulnerable state, attack it on a Monday morning. Nobody has their act together. Try leading during this moment where everyone is still in vacation mode or the anxiety of work stress kicks in again - where last week's tasks are long forgotten and people are off their game. Here are some thoughts as you unlock the doors, turn on the lights or dust off your virtual meeting skills.
Try not to sprint toward work. Don't let your first words be work focused. Invest some time hearing about everyone's holidays or weekends. I always hated the boss who skipped the reconnecting part or gave it a cursory mention just to check the block. I needed to warm up and sharing my holiday or weekend highlights was a good way to do that.
Do your preparation on Friday (or the last day of the week). Fast forward to Monday morning and review tasks and deadlines with your people before departing on a weekend or holiday. Review next week's schedule and priorities so that you can focus instead on reconnecting and reestablishing the bonds of trust when Monday morning comes.
It is important that our people 'fill their buckets' outside of work. This consists of reconnecting with family, friends, and loved ones and or engaging in activities which bring fulfillment. Monday mornings can be a great way for leaders to check on their people to see if they 'recharged' their batteries. If they have not, leaders can challenge them to fill these buckets, to prioritize their fulfillment so that they remain in top mental (and physical) condition.
Lastly, leaders ought to practice all of this for themselves. Do the preparation work on Friday and seek fulfillment over the weekends and holidays to ensure you are in top leadership condition when Monday morning comes. Mondays are hard for all of us and it is our leadership duty to ease the tension, be vulnerable, transparent, and rally the troops again.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell