Francis Fong’s Post

As I continue to dig my way out of my inbox after the extended holiday weekend, I’ve been thinking a lot about all the pressures that often come along with holidays. Companies feel pressure to set expectations around availability for both employees and customers. People leaders feel pressure to encourage their teams to “log off,” but often fail to do so themselves. Individuals feel pressure to check off that last item on their to-do list before signing off, or pressure to check email and chat, even when they’re “not working.” Parents feel pressure to make the day special enough for their kids. Everyone feels pressure to “catch up” after a few days offline. How do we take some of this pressure off? How do we enable our teams to *really* check out of work mode, and celebrate holidays in whatever way is most meaningful to them?

Interesting how when you're an employee you look forward to holidays and plan so much around them, even wishing for them to be longer. But when you're a business owner, you loathe the way the calendar has so many holidays daunted across it. Knowing a week is riddled with holidays even makes one livid. This is just a way to show that the same circumstances translate differently to different people who are not on the same side of the coin. Makes you realize that perspective is everything in decision making. #happylabourday

A Useful Reminder we can give ourselves as we ease into the season of rest and recuperation… June is a time to allow ourselves to slow down and take a break from our work as we approach the halfway point of the year. Holidays are not just a luxury that only the wealthy and successful can afford - we all need to take a break from our working lives, and I have come to see holidays as a non-negotiable when planning my year. At the end of the day, we are all responsible for the condition of our own lives and it starts from inside each of us. Giving ourselves this time to just ‘switch off’ and give ourselves space for thought can often wind up being much more productive than we expect! It is often in these times of relaxation when our greatest ideas and innovations come to us. So have you made a plan to take some downtime over the Summer? #TheInnerCEO #ShaneCradock #FreeThoughtTime

October marks the beginning of the fourth quarter or the last 90 days of the year. With the holidays on the horizon, it can be easy to sit back and coast to the end of the year. BUT many employers do year-end reviews or have bonuses on the table, so these last three months provide an opportunity to make an impact. So what can you do to close the year out on a high note? Here are a few suggestions.   Clean Your Workspace - Clean out your office or desk and get rid of anything you don't need to bring into 2024. Whether you're in the office or you work from home, your space can impact your mindset. Wipe the slate clean and start Q4 with an organized workspace to help motivate you. Now that you've cleaned up your space, treat yourself to a new notebook or a fancy pen to put you in a good mood.   Tie Up Loose Ends - Finish all the tasks you've been putting off like filing expenses, time tracking, reporting, etc. Any long-term projects you've kept at the bottom of the list aren't going to finish themselves.   Set Your Goals - If you are working for a bonus or incentive, what do you need to get there? Set your end-of-year goals and list out what you can reasonably accomplish in the next few months. Think about what tasks will get you noticed by leadership and make an impact. Now that your workspace is clean you can prominently display these goals and knock them out one by one.   Plan For Your Holidays - Don't wait until the last minute to plan for your holiday vacation. If you're taking time off, get your team prepared in advance so you can walk out the door with zero stress. Meet with your boss or team to go over who is taking time off so everyone is on the same page and knows what to expect.   Create Your Year In Review - Before you sign off for 2024, make sure you track your accomplishments and keep a list of your wins so you're prepared for your next review. This is also a great time to update your resume and LinkedIn pages with the latest information. #TipTuesday #Last90Days #SheldrakeConsulting #MidCareerSuccess #WomenInBusiness #CoachMonica #GetUnstuck #MichiganCareerCoach #CareerCoach #CareerCoaching

Have you scheduled your summer time off yet? What's holding you back? Did you know that you're more likely to take time off if you schedule it? As the Harvard Business Review's 2016 article entitled "The Data-Driven Case for Vacation" states at the end of their article: "We love reading blogs on productivity research, but one of our running jokes is how each article gives you a list of three more things you have to be doing to be successful. You read three articles and you now have nine more “to-dos” each day. But the conclusion of this article and all of our research isn’t complicated: Go on vacation. If you take all your vacation days and plan ahead for trips, you will increase your happiness, success rate, and likelihood of promotion, and you’ll lower your stress level to boot." Drop me a reaction or comment below if you: 1. Already have your vacation planned and scheduled 2. Have it scheduled on your calendar but not sure what you're doing 3. You're taking action right now to block the time Your future self will thank you. #vacation #vacationvibes #calendarmanagement #timeoff #hr #ceo #executive

Navigating the complexities of group holiday planning requires strategic consideration and flexibility. Our latest article offers insights into accommodating the diverse preferences of each group member, ensuring a satisfying and inclusive experience. Explore practical strategies for creating harmonious holidays that cater to a variety of tastes and interests. https://lnkd.in/gaMeqEcn

Business owners - schedule holidays! Think about what happens when you step away from the business container. You detach! This "space" refines the vision and recharges the batteries of the number one asset in the company - YOU. Even short breaks (1 to 2 days) in a building phase - can reset the energy. Taking a break is healthy and clear minds often experience strategic breakthroughs. Build your year around scheduled holidays and not the other way around. #businessownership #businessmindset #businessstrategy #businessowners

A few years back, I was criticized for taking too many vacations instead of focusing on business growth. However, I realized that the initial reason for starting my business was to have the freedom to take holidays whenever I pleased. After 12 years, I've discovered that even short vacations benefit my business. I return rejuvenated, motivated, full of fresh ideas, and ready to take action, leading to peak productivity in the subsequent 4-6 weeks. Now, I aim to take a vacation every three months, regardless of whether I feel I need it. Staying connected while away and having a reliable team to manage the business is vital. There's no one-size-fits-all solution; the key is to identify what works best for you and prioritize productivity. #Vacation #Productivity #BusinessGrowth

I'm off on holiday tomorrow - a much needed break after having to postpone it from earlier in the year due to circumstances beyond anyone's control! But that got me thinking about how other business leaders treat holidays? Do you completely switch off? Are you in frequent contact with the office? Occasional contact? Or not at all? I know 100% that no-one from my team will be on contact with me when I am away. Perhaps if a site burnt down they may be, but not otherwise. In fact, I learned very early on in my business career, that holidays were a good opportunity for people to grow. Give someone else one of my normal tasks whilst I am away, and they generally did a great job. So much so, that they could keep it permanently when I got back. One less thing for me to do. Win-win. It comes down to how much you trust your people. So, how many times do you contact people from your business when away? Every day? Every other day? Once a week? Or not at all? Let me know. (I hope it's the latter!)

What would you do with unlimited holiday? Imagine a workplace where unlimited holidays aren’t just a dream but a reality. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, one innovative thinker dared to make it happen, and the results were astonishing. By offering unlimited holidays to employees, this trailblazer shattered conventional wisdom. Surprisingly, productivity didn’t plummet; it soared. Employees embraced the newfound freedom, yet remained as committed and dedicated as ever. It was a paradigm shift, proving that trust and flexibility trump rigid rules. This visionary’s experiment challenges the status quo, revealing that treating employees with trust and respect yields remarkable results. In this brave new world, responsibility flourishes in the absence of constraints. It’s a testament to the power of unconventional thinking and the potential for positive change in the workplace. In a world where traditional norms reign supreme, this story serves as a beacon of hope. It’s a reminder that daring to defy expectations can pave the way to a brighter, happier, and more productive future for all.