5 Great Ways to Finish the Calendar Year in Style

As the end of the calendar year approaches it is very easy to get distracted by talk of upcoming holidays and to mentally ‘wind down’. The fundamental issue with this is that if you wind down at work, you’ll not only accomplish far less at work, but you’ll actually reduce your ‘rest and recovery’ when you do go on holiday as you’ll likely be distracted about unresolved work challenges while you’re away! That becomes a lose-lose situation.

The only true way to achieve a win-win outcome is to be focused at work, right to the end of the year, and to then try to ‘switch off’ from work entirely and fully commit to your holiday plans when away, and that’s easier said than done! Here are 10 ways you can adopt and share with your team to finish the calendar year in style.

1. For salespeople: now is the time to push hard to close all the sales you can before the end of the year, before people shut down mentally and delay decisions to 2020. It’s the case of ‘survival of the most proactive’, so make those calls to chase EVERYTHING! Before you call people, find a benefit (reason) for them to make a decision now rather than delay – such as how it’ll save them time, sales them hassle and give them greater peace of mind. Why not then book meetings with your clients for early in the new year to start your year positively and with momentum.
2. For Sales Managers: Now is the time for you and your sales team to plan your 2020 sales strategy in detail. This means a full breakdown of goals into new and existing clients, into a clear sales process, and into clear KPIs. It is also the right time to ensure your training and coaching plans are in place to support your team in implementing those plans: as your marketplace becomes more competitive its important that your team stay ahead of the game. You should also meet with the Marketing Manager to get alignment between your teams ahead of 2020.
3. For Business Owners: 2020 is sure to be an exciting year, with countless industries expecting big changes. As you know, change leads to massive opportunity, so long as your team is prepared for it and that they are aligned as one team. Hence, now is the time to review your team culture and values, and to ask yourself if your team are all ‘on board’. If not, book a day or half a day just before or just after the holidays to celebrate the overall wins as a team, to thank them for their commitment, and to discuss how the company values affect each and every one of them day to day. A fully aligned team will always be more resilient through times of change.
4. For Marketing Managers: by now you should have completed your 2020 marketing plan in detail, including clear timelines, clear measures, clear allocation of responsibilities, and a budget breakdown. If you haven’t done this already, take a day and do it now. If you have completed this, call a separate meeting with each of the following: your marketing team, the sales team, and the senior managers. Walk them through your plan for 2020 to get their full buy-in and support ahead of the new year.
5. For your finance, operations, and admin teams: now is the time to do that tidy and up and spring clean ahead of the break so to speak. We see countless finance and admin teams just ‘holding on’ for the holiday season, ready to take a break and come back fighting’ in the new year (I.E. tackling the mess and mayhem after the holidays). The issue with this approach is that when you take a break knowing you have a mess to return to, you never fully ‘take that break’, it’ll stay at the back of your mind. We recommend buddying up with someone at work: you help them clear through their mess, they help you clear up your mess, so you BOTH enjoy the holidays more.