As an executive coach who is also a parent and former teacher of 25 years, September has been an opportunity to create a vision for the next ten months.

In our North American culture, September is a month that many of us approach much like January; there are new beginnings, hopes and transitions that many of us anticipate, sometimes with more than a bit of dread. 

Fresh notebooks and pens; opportunity.  

New responsibilities and transitions; change.  

2020 has been a year marked by uncertainty on so many fronts. This September has the potential to surprise us with the ongoing need for agility.  

After more than seven months of intense pivoting, many of us are tired and some of us are wound pretty tight. Many, particularly those in leadership, have had pressures and responsibilities that could never have been anticipated.  

This is a tough backdrop for the demands of September. 

What do we need in our leadership tool belts to navigate this September with the greatest opportunity for success? What tools will help us stay clear-minded and effective? 

Here are some of the tools and questions that I am using to help leaders to wrap their heads and hearts around today and the season ahead: 

Acknowledge that September has unique pressures. Self-care and self-compassion are going to help you exercise greater levels of effectiveness than self-deprecation.  What resources do you have?  Do you have someone who can help you to think outside the box when it is necessary? When you need encouragement, who can support you? Have you filled the necessary seats on your personal support team?

Awareness of our own strengths, weaknesses, and the wisdom to ask for help when and where we need it. Self-awareness helps us remain agile and asking for help is essential.  Are you thinking of your team as a team?  What skills are available? What skills are untapped?

Ability to ask broad questions. So many of us are caught in a trap of putting out fires…. To make the best decision, it helps to start with wide open questions. This helps us to think long-term and then act in the now.  What is most important? What result do we want? What are the possible barriers to overcome? The answers to these questions will inform the purpose of the initiative, rather than creating busy work that is less focused. One of the best resources in this area is Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why. 

Emotional Agility. There are a lot of challenging conversations happening all the time in the workplace these days. Feeling triggered is inevitable. To dissipate the impact of feeling triggered, it helps to be able to articulate, in a safe place, what we are feeling. I really like the book Emotional Agility by Susan David to further explore this skillset.  

Empathy. Emotions have been running high.  Every person in your workplace has a story. Like it or not, they carry their story of their aged parents or their children with them.  So do you.  Some of us are able to handle more risk and uncertainty than others. Some of us are carrying pressures that no one knows about.  We all need a little more understanding these days.  We have three favorite questions to help leaders practice empathy: “Tell me more about…”, “Help me understand…”, and “What’s important about…”.

(Note: This is not a free pass for poor or unfinished work. Accountability and empathy are not enemies. Conversation and understanding help to bridge the gap here.)

How will you take these tools with you today? This month? This year? 

As you start off fall, these approaches will ensure you capture the opportunity and possibilities of the year ahead with greater awareness, strength, and connection.