3 Ways to Supercharge Your Fourth Quarter

RL09-24-2015Believe it or not, this year is already winding down and businesses are facing the fourth, and final, quarter of 2015. Depending on the type of year your team has had, you may be filled with momentum or just limping along. But, no matter how the first nine months have gone, it’s vital that you gear up and make one last final push to close the year strong.

Even if you’re not a fan, there are many valuable lessons you can learn from football, including how to handle the fourth quarter. As one article from Entrepreneur puts it, “Whether you’re a sports fan or not, there is a huge lesson you can learn … it pays to finish your fourth quarter strong. This is where games are won or lost, it’s also where you can make or break your year.” So, as you map out your game plan for the next three months, try incorporating these three action items.

Refocus Your Passion
As a leader, it can be easy to lose sight of your own passion. But, before you can ever hope to motivate your team to greatness, you have to be inspired yourself. Take time to think through the aspects of your job that bring you joy and fulfillment. Is it seeing your employees succeed in their roles? Is it enabling customers to achieve their own goals? Whatever it is that makes you excited to come to work each day, revive that passion so it’s at the forefront of your mind each morning.

Revamp Your Goals
Now that you’re three-quarters of the way through the year, you should have a pretty clear picture of where you stand on both your company and team goals. It should also be evident which practices are helping you achieve those goals and which ones need to be discarded. In light of all that information, narrow down your focus to the next three months and revamp your goals and tactics to match reality. Even if it doesn’t look like your business will reach its end-of-year goals, you can restructure your team goals to ensure there is some success by year’s end.

Reenergize Your Team
Once you’ve rediscovered your passion and updated your goals, it’s time to reenergize your team. They will already know if it’s been a good or bad year so far, so it’s your job to put the situation into perspective and motivate them to finish the year strong. Explain your thoughts on restructuring goals for the upcoming quarter, then get their input on what tasks they could change and how they could handle projects differently. Often, just the act of being involved in finding a solution and preparing for the months ahead can boost engagement, morale, and teamwork.

Whether or not you’re projected to end 2015 ahead of, right on, or behind your target, the fourth quarter can be a positive experience for your team. You still have the opportunity to turn the situation around and wrap up the year better than you started. Plus, the stronger your team ends 2015, the stronger they’ll be going into 2016.

Refresh Leadership is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

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