Summer in the Midwest is a wonderful season. People move towards planning vacations, long, leisurely days in the sun, and/or maximizing their time outdoors. The shift towards enjoying the season can add to putting off those tasks and decisions that are uncomfortable, complex, or lack immediate urgency. It beckoned me back to college, where my economics professor, John Simonson, would repeat the refrain, “What is the opportunity cost?” As leaders plan for summer and what comes after, they may want to consider the opportunity cost of putting off any of the following.
1. Difficult Conversations
Examples: Giving negative feedback, addressing underperformance, managing interpersonal conflict. Why it’s delayed: Fear of damaging relationships or morale, avoidance of hard to have conversations. How you can benefit: Clearing the air and being clear in expectations can reset a relationship and restart the script. Think of all the worry/strain it has caused and how it would feel to resolve it.
2. Strategic Planning
Examples: Long-term vision setting, succession planning, innovation strategy. Why it’s delayed: Overshadowed by urgent, day-to-day operational demands. How you can benefit: Who doesn’t want clear direction of where you’re heading? Making plans, although they may change, helps set short and long term goals to move the business and people forward.
3. Delegation
Examples: Training others, handing over responsibilities. Why it’s delayed: Lack of trust, belief that doing it themselves is faster or better, and/or they don’t have time to train others. How you can benefit: Less on your “to do’ list, growing other’s skills and abilities.
4. Personal Development
Examples: Coaching, leadership training, self-reflection. Why it’s delayed: Seen as less urgent than team or business needs. You’re comfortable with the pain you know, and/or change is hard. How you can benefit: You are role model for your team the importance of always learning/refining and improving. You gain more clarity about yourself, your purpose, and your “why.” You spend your time doing things you love vs. what you have to, because you’re the Leader.
5. Performance Reviews & Goal Setting
Examples: Formal feedback sessions, goal-setting discussions. Why it’s delayed: Time-consuming and sometimes emotionally taxing. Not sure where to start. It would mean having a hard conversation. How you can benefit: You have the opportunity to recognize and praise people. You have the opportunity to build their skills and participate in their career growth. Expectations are clear and everyone is contributing to the Company’s success.
6. Confronting Organizational Dysfunction
Examples: Toxic culture, unclear roles, and siloed departments. Why it’s delayed: Complex and slow to fix, often involves relationship risks. How you can benefit: An opportunity to set things right, lead by example, and have your Company moving the direction you’d like while fostering a culture you enjoy leading and others want to be a part of.
7. Succession Planning
Examples: Identifying and training future leaders. Why it’s delayed: Easier to focus on immediate staffing issues. Indicates that you may retire someday or want to do another role! How you can benefit: You have a plan and are getting people ready to step up and step in. You write yourself a permission slip to do something different or retire – it’s up to you when you date it for.
8. Letting People Go
Examples: Parting ways with someone who is not fit for the role, culture, or company any longer. Why it’s delayed: Emotional difficulty, fear of impact on team morale or operations, someone will have to pick up the departing employees duties. How you can benefit: Chances are, the difficult employee isn’t happy either. By addressing the situation and moving them on, you’re giving them an opportunity to be happy elsewhere and relieving your team of the byproducts of hosting an employee who isn’t right for the team. Short term, you have to figure out where their duties go, long term you’re getting the right person in the job.
9. Making Big, Risky Decisions
Examples: Entering a new market, major product changes. Why it’s delayed: Fear of failure, lack of time, and/or lack of sufficient data. How you can benefit: It can rejuvenate your business by creating a new profit center, new ideas, and solving a need in the market.
10. Self-Care
Examples: Taking breaks/vacation, managing stress, maintaining work-life balance. Why it’s delayed: Belief that leadership requires constant sacrifice, worries about who will run the business if you’re not there. How you can benefit: Some of our best moments of clarity come from stepping away. When we’re too close to the business, everything can seem urgent and monotonous. By stepping away, you are rediscovering your passion and drive. The whole person comes to work and you value your mental and physical wellbeing enough to step away and enjoy life so that when you are at work; you are present and engaged. You’re also role modeling for your employees that self-care is a must.
Did any of these resonate with you? We can help with all of these areas! We either have the expertise or have trusted partners who do. Let’s move one step closer to solving what you are avoiding. With this in motion, you can plan a vacation! Contact Milestones HR, LLC at 608-370-4642 or angie@milestoneshr.com for a free, no-obligation 30-minute exploration conversation. Check out our website at www.milestoneshr.com for our fractional human resources services.
Angie Addison, SHRM-CP, PHR
Milestones HR, LLC | Owner & Founder
www.milestoneshr.com
Contact Milestones HR, LLC at 608-370-4642 or angie@milestoneshr.com