Launching into the New Year

It’s the last quarter of the year, and for many organizations that means a review of the past year and planning for the next.

Similar to 2020, this year provided its share of challenges. One of the biggest ...

The Great Resignation!  

Millions of US workers left their jobs in the last six months, and surveys indicate that a multitude of them still consider that option to be on the table. The biggest reason named by those taking part in the mass exodus is dissatisfaction with their employers’ treatment of them during the pandemic.

Zoe Hart explains:

The Great Resignation is making it clear that companies no longer have the same level of control
over workers that they once did. Burned out by everything they’ve endured over the past year and a half,
workers are prioritizing their mental and physical health. (Forbes, August 11, 2021)

The steps to perhaps avoid The Great Resignation or begin recovery from it are simple, if not easy.  While there is no way to guarantee employees will not find a reason to leave your organization, in this four-part series, we will look at some actions to take to achieve success in the upcoming year.

Conduct a Strategic Review

• Consider whether your Mission, Vision, and Values (MVV) are solid, accepted, provide a place to return when business becomes unstable, and align with the future growth of your organization. The purpose, mission, and “why” are more important now than ever before. When a company I worked for rebranded, we deemed it essential to revisit our MVV and compare them to the new direction. Times change. Organizations change. People, leaders, and teams change. Products and services change. 

• Identify the current opportunities that will lead the organization toward greater success.  “What we’ve always done” isn’t enough anymore (not that it ever was).  Today is a new environment, and we have to respond to and within it. 

• Identify the challenges you’ve encountered to determine how to build agility and flexibility into your strategic plans. Using a scale of 1-10 where 10 means you are masterful, rank how well your organization adapts to change. 2020 is a great benchmark, while 2021 is a good comparison year due to the continued challenges presented to organizations.   

• Confirm agreement between the executive leadership team and address any gaps. The last thing any organization needs, at the best of times and certainly not right now, is a less-than-united leadership team.

• Implement a cohesive communication plan to ensure alignment between all departments, locations, and employees. Every level of the organization has a perception of the organization and its leaders. Employees also have their own ideas as to whether a company lives its values by applicable guiding behaviors. Rumors, gossip, and false stories can be curtailed when an organization shows the connection to and support of the MVV to the overall strategy.

Building excitement toward the strategic goals while aligning your team’s strengths to those objectives is a sure-fire way to achieve business success while retaining your most important asset, your people.

Strategic planning is more than looking solely at profit and loss, revenue, or gross margin. It’s about the people that drive these initiatives and execute the plan to completion.

How are you finishing out this year and how are you launching into the new year? While you plan for the financial successes of your business, provide opportunities for your team to embrace, engage with, and execute the plans because you have a strong “why”.

Want to look at your organization differently? Take the initiative and touch base with me. I’ll help you find your path to reach your full potential. And we’ll have fun on the journey of discovery.

Let’s launch into 2022 with renewed vigor, focus, and direction. There’s never been a better time than now to align your current talent with your business strategy.

Let’s move forward. Together.

P.S.  Book a Complimentary Strategy Session so we can get you moving in the right direction; click on my Complimentary Strategy Session calendar link here and let’s book a time together so you can get started today!

P.P.S. With over three decades of professional experience in corporate operations and executive human resources, I am a proven results-driven leader. My expertise includes strategy, change management, talent management and organizational development, employee relations, and executive and leadership coaching. I am a highly effective communicator and team leader with demonstrated ability to build long-term relationships across internal and external customer environments built with integrity, confidence, authenticity, and trust.