“Summertime and the living is easy” George Gershwin/DeBose Heyward

Once again the summer has slowly arrived to the true north strong and free. To reward ourselves for surviving another brutal winter, many of us start anticipating our well-deserved summer vacation. This week’s entry focuses on three very simple elements for Man in business suit fishingpeople managers to monitor, as we adjust to a work environment filled with employees absenteeism based on vacation earned.

  1. Ensure your staff has submitted and taken vacation.
  2. Ensure you have submitted and taken vacation.
  3. Think!

The first element was captured in an article I wrote last year, Manager Proof your Office to remind all staff, that your company can survive nicely without you for a couple of weeks. As a people manager, doing the walk around, reminding your staff to submit summer vacation requests, models an important message. You deserve time off, so please take a break and do whatever you like when you are not working. This is proactive and this little gesture demonstrates you acknowledge the importance of time off for people.

Occasionally an employee does not take a summer vacation. I recall a highly valued staff member who went to Asia for 15 days in the winter. Giving high performers a well planned relevant summer project will provide focus and often exceptional results during the down time when office air conditioners are blasting on high.

The second important theme for people managers is to remind yourself to block time for your own vacation. I must repeat the premise of “the world can survive without you”. This truth is often even harder to internalize for people managers. Believe me your well-managed team always survives very well without you for a week or two.

Finally the last recommendation, Think: Many years ago when I was doing my first stint as a district manager, the director of sales at our organization, set up a meeting with me. After going through the ritual of sales results and other priorities he paused. He looked at me and said, “Never forget that we pay you to think.”

This caught me a little off guard, but he was very adamant about this important role as a people manager. He then suggested that for an hour every day, I should close my door, shut my phone off and just think.

As I eventually got through my first year as a manager, my boss looked at the results, which were certainly acceptable, and asked me what I was thinking?

After I shared my thoughts, he seemed a little disappointed.   He then asked me again if I was taking time to think? I reminded him of how busy things were and how crazy the demands of a new manager are as I rambled on about my work. He stopped me and immediately pointed out, that a little thinking every day, would have solved most of the issues I had shared.

It was early summer and he then suggested that I take a day or two, because there was a lot of down time in the summer, and really think about what I wanted to do with my team to ensure continued individual success.

It is funny how that one reminder helped to reenergize me, and more importantly my team. Summer is often the midpoint of most company’s year. Taking time to reflect and really think about your people and their strengths and midyear performance is time well spent.

When employees get back from vacation and you demonstrate you have been thinking about them and their business, just watch how much more critical thinking occurs from them. Taking time to think is a critical habit that will always precede great results.