Let's discuss how starting something new give you an extra amount of energy to pull from. Initially, the idea of something fresh and exciting will invigorate you and spur you to quick, productive, and enthusiastic action. You're hot off the starting block at the beginning of most things, whether starting a new director's position, writing your lesson plans, or organizing your workspace or classroom. Your passion for the work, or the finished product and results it will produce, motivate you to give it your all. Often non-stop at full speed. Whether it's burnout from the hot start or having underestimated the stamina needed to maintain a lengthy project, that hot start fizzles out and cools down eventually.
Effective work at any level requires knowledge of how to combat this, especially leadership. So how do you lead - yourself or a team - when your passion isn't burning quite as brightly as when you started?
Here are some tips below:
• Plan Ahead: When you start something new and have the energy to spare, stop to plan out the entire project as an outline before you jump straight into the work. This way, even if you struggle to find motivation in the process, having clarity about what you need to do will mean less pushback when it's time to do it.
• Prime Accountability: Build accountability into the process. In this modern, fast-moving world - where most of us wear many hats - help is not a luxury. When doing your initial planning in the step above, assign tasks to team members AND include who will be responsible for ensuring the process is being moved along. This will help ensure there is no confusion or stalls.
• Pick Action: When it's tough to find some energy to move a project along, pick one next step to focus on and complete. Instead of being potentially overwhelmed by the scope of a project when you've lost some zeal for it, think more linearly and pick the next best thing to do.
These steps will help you keep moving no matter if you are at the beginning of a passion project OR need to push through the muck in the middle.
Meet The Author
Sheika Petteway, Chief ENCOURAGING Officer
She provides educational and leadership training to individuals and organizations. She is the founder and CEO of Elite Educational Enterprises and has several years experience serving in the early childhood education industry.
You are invited to Recharge Early Childhood Educators Conference! September 29 & 30, 2023 Houston, Texas
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