The tension of Q4 - slow down! go faster!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the November 7th, 2024 newsletter, two days after the American election.
I planned to send this newsletter on Monday. While doing the final formatting, I pushed the wrong button, and... poof! It all disappeared!
I am incredibly impressed with the customer service at Kit (formerly ConvertKit), but their compassionate communication and technological efforts could not recover what I had written. So you’re getting a reconstructed newsletter, sent in the “after” rather than the “before”.
The theme of newsletter 1.0 was the duality of Q4, and the paradox of living in “both…and”. We’re sticking with that. This newsletter is not political and I am not American. But I am a human, living in Washington DC, working with people I care about, and immensely appreciative of the life I have built in this country. I’m feeling the “both… and”, right now. Perhaps you are too – Q4 does that to us, even without events of (inter)national significance.
Newsletter 1.0 reintroduced me and Resolute. It’s been a while since I sent a newsletter and you might have forgotten signing up for this. So, Hi! At Resolute we work with ambitious professionals to build skills and confidence for professional success and satisfaction. We do this through professional development, coaching, and leadership advisory services, as well as special projects grounded in facilitation, research, and analysis. We lead with serving not selling, and we appreciate knowing when what we share is useful to you. Please, let me know what’s helpful to you and what topics and tools you need next.
Slow down… Speed up! Aligning energy, focus, and needs to close out the year
Here in the US, the clocks changed on Sunday. “Falling back” means many of us are going home in the dark and, despite warm temperatures, our energy is falling as well. The desire to get cozy and hibernate is kicking in! Some of us experience this more than others, depending on our chronotype. Our body clocks and energy shifts throughout the day are not uniform. I’m a lion and I’m married to a wolf. I support my desire to slow down by advocating for my earlier bedtime, and I rather enjoy my peaceful solo mornings.
This “slow down” energy shows up in my business through reflection, looking back at the year that’s closing out, and consolidating what I’ve learned. I’m able to bring that gentler focus into annual planning and priority setting for the months and years ahead.
By contrast, Q4 also pushes us to go faster: capture that last business push before the holidays, hit all the social events, and challenge our clients to complete their projects. There is undoubtedly a place for this – and a lot of pleasure in it! The pressure can blur our focus, though. It’s worth checking in to see if you’re paying attention to the right tasks or if you’re confusing activity with productivity.
I invite you to consider three simple prompts as you navigate your own “both…and”:
Where do you feel a pull to slow down? When does that most happen to you? What are appropriate tasks or projects to align with that energy?
How is a push to speed up present for you? What are appropriate tasks or projects to align with that energy?
What’s non-negotiable? There will inevitably be some things you have to do, regardless of how you’re feeling! Schedule those first – put them in the best (or least bad) slots for the type of task and fill in around them.
Resources for duality: Living in both... and
Duality brings with it lots of feelings. There's a need for high emotional intelligence, real-time self-awareness, and responsibility - especially as leaders - to show up well for our teams. We need to demonstrate care while respecting boundaries. There will be hard conversations, and trust is vital.
I'm sharing (see photo) some of my go-to resources. When I'm anxious: I read. When I'm curious: I read. When I know I don't know: I read. Perhaps you do, too? If listening or watching is more your speed, most of these authors also have videos or podcast interviews online.
