Good Monday morning - This is Sarah Waple, partner at Growth Dynamics, and I’m here with a special mid-year check in episode of Monday Morning Manager.
I’m going to share something - I didn’t know when the middle of a year was. Sure, I figured the end of June, then I thought about how some talk about Christmas in July and that has always thrown me off. Yes, I know I’m probably not sounding like the smartest person right now, and that’s ok because I trust all of you listening to not make fun of me later.
Turns out the exact middle of the year is July 2.
Why am I sharing this somewhat silly story with you today? I’m sharing because this is a lesson in what one believes to be true vs. finding out what is actually true.
While this situation isn’t that important, the lesson is. Without examining the true facts, we will naturally follow what we believe to be true.
As this episode is coming out after the exact middle and in smack in the middle of the busiest vacation weeks of the year- I know this to be true for those listening and subscribing to MMM due to the deluge of out of office messages I know I’ve been getting- it’s time to talk about the big picture here- we are halfway through 2023.
Seems hard to believe. I think time moves faster each year, but maybe that is growing up, or watching kids grow up.
So let’s talk about the first half of the year and the second half of the year.
It’s time to review what you believe to be true about the first six months and then review to make sure what you believe to be true and what is actually true are the same. Are you sales really up like you think? Did the PO’s that were promised come in and get processed? Have you followed up with the suspects that said let’s talk later in the year?
Next, once you figure out where you are in relation to your goals, do you accounts know where they are in relation to the goals you set with them at the start of the year? Make sure to schedule those review calls over the next few weeks. Maybe expectations changed on their end and they need to tell you, but they don’t want to share possible bad news. Maybe someone in your circle has potential good news but doesn’t want to get your hopes up.
Schedule time for honest conversations with those that will help you to make your goals. Be a good business partner to your clients and prospects and help them stay on track too.
While we are in the middle of the year this week, I don’t know the breakdown on what half of the year has more days off for holidays. I’m willing to guess the half we are entering into has more days off and time away from the office.
Take some time and put all your days off on the calendar NOW. If you’ve been a client with for any length of time you know Charlie practices this at the beginning of the year. He, and I do this as well, enters as many of the days off that he plans to take over the course of the year. This way you know exactly how many days you have to work to achieve your goals. I’m going to be pulling all our school calendar events and adding them for the upcoming school year. I already have save the dates for band and choral concerts, my last year of holiday gift shop at the elementary school, teacher in service days, anything that might take me away from work. For one, this allows me to plan around them and two it allows me to stay committed to taking the time for those special events. Sometimes I think the longer a date is on the calendar, the harder it is to move or schedule over.
Take time to set yourself up for success for the rest of the year. With that in mind, here is a special DRILL this week:
The DRILL:
We want to know...
What are three things you are most proud of from the first half of the year?
What are three outcomes you wish you could change- what would you have done differently, if anything?
And of course:
What are your three biggest challenges for the rest of the year?
What are you going to to do be as successful as possible for the next six months?
As always, we are here to support you. Please do not hesitate to reach out, schedule coaching, enroll in coaching or ask for help. Now, go out there and make this week the best one yet.
