For Marketers Who Are Making a List… And Checking It a Bazillion Times
Yes, the holidays have arrived, and getting everything off your plate before the new year may not feel exactly like “dashing” through the snow. If you’re a successful marketer, it probably feels more like trudging, maybe even sinking.
As a marketing leader, that “special time of year” translates to half your team being out, mapping next year’s growth strategy and ensuring you have time to perfect Grandma’s nut bread. That’s a lot of pressure… What’s more, Mariah Carey is in the background belting shrills only dogs should be able to hear. It. Just. Doesn’t. Stop.
While there are distractions and stressors galore during the holidays, there are effective ways to take care of yourself and corral your team during this time.
- Blow off steam – throw a party
The power of saying “thank you” to your employees cannot be underscored enough. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to rock as hard as you do. Take time to show your gratitude and allow your team to release tension at the same time.
- Plan early and communicate your expectations and schedule
All year, you promise the moon to your team and clients. Sometimes delivering the right solution on-schedule requires after-hours efforts. This time of year, it’s high time to avoid that behavior.
Ensure you can plan accordingly by…
- Prioritizing your year-end tasks and ensuring there’s plenty of room in the schedule to complete them
- Pro tip! If you need to get projects done FAST, consider adopting an Agile approach.
- Avoiding major projects in November and December
- If you’re mapping out next year’s growth strategy, start early—and don’t be afraid to allow the plan to spill into January.
- Knowing your employees’ PTO schedules, and communicate those schedules effectively to your team and clients (internal or external).
- Scheduling time with your stakeholders to set crystal clear expectations as things ramp down for the holidays.
- Look forward to next year
The holidays are a time to wind down and start planning for the future. Among your team, encourage introspection about how, collectively, you can “do better” next year. Then articulate your goals and make them known throughout the organization. The best way to set your team up for success is by instilling a growth-mode mindset for next year.
- Have fun—the holidays only roll around once a year!
This one is important—you deserve a break, so let yourself have one! Don’t take your work home with you this holiday season. Instead, be present with your loved ones, recharge and go into the new year refreshed.
Leave Your List at the Office… and Don’t Check It Until the New Year
At Access Marketing Company, we know what it’s like to be “always on.” As an organization, we pour ourselves into every project, but at the end of the year, we let ourselves recharge. Don’t believe us? Get to know AMC. Our employees are not only passionate marketers, but avid skiers and snowboarders, holiday party dancers and dedicated volunteers.
