Merry Christmas and happily prospering through the year?

A business associate and I recently agreed that at this time of year there is a sense of ending and new beginnings.

For the Northern hemisphere this could be because the year is punctuated with the August Summer holidays - almost creating a dichotomy in the annual calendar. Southern Hemisphere countries such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa often undertake a Christmas celebration at this time, in order to experience the joys of the season with a Winter feel.

Christmas time and end of year means, for many of us, setting purposeful goals or resolutions. Now could be an ideal time to press the refresh button - what better way to enter the latter part of the year? Revisit your desired focus, direction and motivation.

If you are a team manager or leader no doubt the business goals are perused regularly but what about the big picture? As your teams reunite after the August holidays how about creating some time to see if everyone is on the same page?

Some headlines in encouraging employee engagement:

·        Is your team vision and purpose clear?

·        Who is accountable for what?

·        What is the desired end result?

·        How does your teams’ respective work make a difference to the overall organization?

·        How are you going to celebrate on achieving the results?

"When you're surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose anything is possible." H Schultz

Now that you have defined your motivations, write them down, create your action plan and stick with it. Consider diarizing some regular reviews to keep necessity high rather than wait for the next natural lull in the calendar to regain perspective.

Leigh McKay

W: www.workwiseltd.co.uk

TW: @workwisely