Managing a distracted team approaching the end-of-year push

Ke December boss is a phrase commonly used at the end of the year by South Africans who are eager to take a well-earned shutdown for the December vacation. However, the holiday feeling creeps in at the end of October/beginning of November while employees are still at work and companies are closing the year off.

The reality is that the end of the year approaches companies like a steam train, with September – November merging into one serious push by management to end the year on a high note and make ample preparations to begin the new year on a solid footing. How can leadership lead distracted teams effectively? I recently read an interesting article on the Harvard Business Review (HBR) website, which discusses this in more detail.

Avoid anxious fixing

The HBR article points out that, when the news is stressful, a manager’s job is to make sure that work doesn’t become an unnecessary additional source of stress. Too often, instead of taking a deep breath, an anxious manager will frantically spin into action, inundating their reports with messages and suddenly micromanaging every ongoing workstream.

When the future feels up in the air, we’re more likely to take on or create excessive tasks and responsibilities. These are unhealthy attempts to feel like we’re more in control of the situation, and it only leads to further exhaustion and stress. Psychologists call this “anxious fixing,” and it makes life miserable for employees exactly when they need stability. Barraging your people with emails or other pings also makes miscommunication more likely: 64% of employees say they waste time struggling to interpret written messages from colleagues at least a few times a month, if not more frequently (even daily).

The article adds that successfully navigating uncertainty as a leader starts by pushing back against your natural impulse to run from discomfort. Instead of making busyness a barrier to your anxiety, stop, acknowledge it, and sit with it.

Give non-update updates

When anxiety is high, the rumor mill starts to churn. To get ahead of unnecessary anxiety spirals, be as transparent as possible, even if that means just letting your team know that you don’t have anything new to share. It’s likely that projects will move more slowly during election week and that you’ll have to wait longer than usual to get answers to your questions. Communicate that to your team.

For example, let’s say you’re leading an internal project team with cross-functional colleagues. You’re in charge of running an internal survey to get feedback, and you promised the team you’d get back to them with the survey data to inform what direction to take. Now it’s election week, and everyone who is supposed to fill out the survey is distracted. Instead of going radio silent, give an update to your team with the reason the survey isn’t done and when you expect it to be complete.

The HBR article points out that, unless you feel that you’re overcommunicating or repeating yourself, chances are you’re not communicating enough. Of course, don’t pepper your team with unnecessary pings or questions. But ahead of team meetings and 1:1s, do ask yourself, “What have I not said? Is there anything people are waiting on, and what is the current status of getting an answer?” And then evaluate which parts of your answer may be useful to tell your team.

Help people feel a sense of stability by providing a clear path forward

The article adds that clear guidance on priorities reduces confusion and helps your team continue to make progress. If everyone knows the two to three things they need to get done that week, they’re more likely to work on the things that matter. When you don’t offer a clear path forward, people will feel frazzled and be more likely to prioritize non-urgent, non-important tasks like answering messages, clearing out their inboxes, or just refreshing the news. Your goal is to prevent precious little energy and focus from being wasted, so make it easy for team members to concentrate on the tasks you care about most.

A clear path forward also makes it easy for people to see how their efforts contribute to higher-level goals, which can make them feel secure in their roles. For example, you might say to your team: “I know the news is distracting right now. Our team’s top priority is to help sales close 10 new deals this quarter. For the next few days, the best way we can make progress toward that goal is to focus on ensuring that the November executive roundtable is well attended and goes smoothly.” Making progress is an important way to reduce anxiety and prevent people from feeling adrift amid chaos.

Check the news each morning to prepare for emotions within your team

The HBR article points out that significant changes in vote counts, policy shifts, global wars, and economic conditions can have profound impacts not only on your industry but on your team members’ mental health. By making sure you’re up-to-date on what’s happening in the world, you can anticipate when your team might come to work distracted. Be prepared to address any concerns or questions your team may have. You might also consider adjusting workloads, offering support in 1:1s, and sharing your own emotions in a team meeting.

For example, use your weekly team meeting to share that you’re anxious about the coming election:

I’ve been following the election polls closely, and just like many of you, I’m also feeling distracted this week. If anyone wants to discuss how they’re feeling, I’ve set aside some time in our 1:1 meetings this week. I know it will be harder than usual for me to focus today, so my plan is to put away my phone and spend the morning working on the finance report, which is my top priority.

It can be useful to partner with HR during this time as well so that you know which organization-wide resources you can point people to, such as mental health support or employee resource groups that provide safe spaces for people to share experiences and advice.

Plan for a dip in productivity

The article points out that leaders should take the steps listed above but acknowledge that when your team is distracted and stressed, they’re not going to perform at their best. Recognize that they’ll be less focused than usual and adjust your expectations accordingly. If your own manager hasn’t planned ahead for the last week of the year, you might want to bring it up by asking, “Given the distraction that’s bound to interrupt work during the last week of the year, are we shifting any plans?” It’s better to just accept the disruption and plan around it.

Power talk

Motivation is hard to come by at the end of the year. Management will be tempted to use terms like “we are all in this together,” “success is a team effort,” and “we need to put our best foot forward during this period.”

However, actions speak louder than words. Employees feed off management’s energy and often match it if they feel they are being led effectively. Assure them that they are valued and that working through the distractions of this period of the year is expected.