The tension of Q4 - slow down! go faster!
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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. As always, we use this occasional newsletter to offer you practical and business-minded tools. We’re also sharing our complimentary once-a-year Look Back | Look Forward workshop. Thanks for being here, Joanna Kozlowski | Founder, Resolute Consulting LLC Slow down… Speed up! Aligning energy, focus, and needs to close out the yearHere 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”:
If you’d like to explore more, consider joining our in-person workshop on December 11th in Washington, DC. You can learn more and register here. "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
— Søren Kierkegaard
Resources for duality: Living in both... andDuality 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. 2024 PartnershipsWe deeply appreciate professional associations and partner with them in many ways. This year we're proudly working with, sponsoring, and/or a member of:
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Work with Resolute: If you'd like to learn more about the services we offer, email us to receive our updated Statement of Qualifications. If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here. See you soon, and please share your feedback. ©2024 Resolute Consulting LLC | www.resoluteconsulting.co I 301 873 9481 |
Resolute Consulting LLC
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