Labor Day weekend is behind us and summer is quickly becoming a memory. It’s back to business as usual, but for many, it can be challenging and downright daunting returning to a normal routine and finding motivation. And with so many workers returning to an in-person office after years of working from home, it can be even more difficult. If you lead a team, you know that September can be a challenging month coming off of vacations and the more relaxed atmosphere of summer. How can you ease your team back into office life? Here are a few tips to help:

• Communicate often: Meeting with returning staff creates structure and allows you to catch up, review priorities and set attainable goals for the coming weeks. However, keep it light and realize that this is more about motivation than piling on tasks.
• Assign some easy-to-accomplish tasks: Create a list of simple, short-term goals for your team to get them back into the swing of things without overwhelming them. This will warm them up for the bigger projects you have planned for the future.
• Plan some team building activities: Something light and fun to look forward to can go a long way towards building motivation after the summer months.
• Lead by example: As a manager, you’re probably struggling a little too (see our previous article on ways to work through it). But you also set the tone and team members feed off your energy. Let them see that you’re excited to get back to work and maybe even share some of your post-vacation productivity tips.

It can be tough motivating a team after the slower paced, vacation-laden routine of summer, but there are a number of ways you can make the transition easier. And you don’t have to do it alone. Leah M Joppy and Associates can work with you to help boost motivation and help build a more enthusiastic, cohesive team. Don’t lose weeks of productivity due to the post-vacation blues. Call us at 301-670-0051 or email leah@lmja.com to learn how we can help.

There’s no doubt about it, we’re living in a VUCA world. Although it sounds like something out of a science-fiction movie, VUCA stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. And it’s become even more pronounced over the past few years. What’s also becoming clear is that strong management within organizations is more vital than ever and comfortable, classic models of leadership don’t work within our ever-changing climate.

So, what does it take to lead in a VUCA world? It takes a lot of effort, but here are some of the top ways to navigate the waters:

• Developing shared purpose and communicating it effectively: Leaders need to be skilled at building teams that have a shared vision. They must also be adept at helping team members understand their place within the big picture. Communication is key!
• Learning to move out of a comfort zone: The old ways of doing things may have worked in the past, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to work forever. Leaders must be open to change and embrace a fresh and creative approach to tackling challenges.
• Having the confidence to lead through times of uncertainty: Times of change can be difficult to handle and managers feel it as much as their team members (maybe even more!). However, strong leaders must be able to assess available information, risks, etc. and take strong, confident action based on their knowledge.
• Providing consistent support: This includes: mentoring team members to help them adjust to changes, modeling the desired behavior for embracing changes, providing and supporting employee learning and development and acknowledging and celebrating successes!

In today’s constantly changing world, leaders may feel like they need to step up their game to be as effective as possible. However, it can be intimidating to take the first steps towards meaningful and sustainable action. Leaders don’t have to go it alone. Working with a coach, like Leah M Joppy and Associates, provides managers with a partner that can help them navigate our VUCA world. We work with leaders to develop the competencies outlined above and to survive and thrive in a VUCA climate. We also help leaders develop high levels of resiliency, so they’re ready to take on challenges and are less likely to experience burnout.

Call Leah M Joppy and Associates at 301-670-0051 or email leah@lmja.com to learn how we can help.

Chances are, you’ve probably heard or read the acronym ‘VUCA’ (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) thrown around a time or two. It’s one of those buzz-worthy terms to describe the unsettled environment organizations have to deal with on a daily basis. And nothing has brought out VUCA more than the past few years, as organizations have dealt with unprecedented changes in day-to-day operations and had to pivot in unexpected ways.

The acronym ‘VUCA’ was first used in 1987 by the U.S Army War College to describe the unfortunate situation after the Cold War. The term later found its way into the business world and outlines four distinct challenges that leaders face:

Volatility: Challenges are unstable and unexpected. The duration of these challenges is unknown.

Uncertainty: The future is unpredictable. It’s nearly impossible to anticipate events and how they’ll unfold.

Complexity: Information is overwhelming and choosing a single right path is almost impossible. Challenges and their repercussions are more complex and harder to understand.

Ambiguity: Situations are vague and difficult to interpret.

In short, we’re living in a world that’s constantly changing and these changes, whether big or small, are happening faster and faster and in more unpredictable ways. Since we don’t have a crystal ball to see the future, the best way for an organization to be prepared is through strong leadership. As we saw over the past few years, change can be incredibly challenging for team members with people reacting to these changes in different ways. Skilled, prepared leaders are the key to meeting the challenges of VUCA head-on through:

• Maintaining strong lines of communication
• Keeping employees engaged
• Determining fresh and creative approaches to meet changes head-on
• Maintaining and growing productivity

And that’s just the start. It’s a tall order for even the most seasoned leader and one where they’ll need a strong level of support from upper management.

As much as we’d like to make time stand still for a bit and catch our breath, change and the challenges that accompany it, is inevitable. We don’t know exactly what changes are coming down the road, but working with a coach, like Leah M Joppy and Associates, can help your organization be prepared when they do happen. We can take a look at what challenges your organization has faced in the past, how your leadership team handled them, what worked and what didn’t. We can then work with you to improve approaches and develop creative and flexible solutions that will help make this VUCA world we’re living in a little more manageable.

Interested in learning more? Call us at 301-670-0051 or email leah@lmja.com