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PTSS: Post Traumatic "Silly-Season" Syndrome
By the time you are reading this, the first month of 2012 will have ended. The majority of those who make new year resolutions will have dropped them, most of those who created a plan for the new year are behind in their goals, and an even larger number of leaders have not yet had their performance reviews for 2011 and have not yet finalized their goals for 2012. Why is it always so difficult to get great momentum right out of the new year blocks?! It seems this same pattern occurs every year and to different degrees all organizations. Whatever you have plans to achieve in 2012, you now have eleven months, not twelve to do so. As the year progresses and deadlines and urgency mount, the pressure to perform and get results continues to build. As deadlines and the year draws to a close, we enter what I call "silly season" - times when getting results seems to matter more than how you get them. "Silly season" can happen isolatedly as individuals or teams approach big milestones and commitment dates. It can also infiltrate entire organizations as they approach their fiscal year end. I propose that "silly season" is a part of why so many fail to deliver strongly as the new year begins. The following personal experience illustrates how even good leaders can unknowingly fall into this bad behavior. Our son is a sophomore and his favorite part of high school so far is playing on the hockey team. When he was eighteen months old, my husband placed a hockey stick in his hands and one has been in them ever since. Until a year ago, his stick of choice was a goalie stick. Seeing that he was struggling, last year his coach gave him the opportunity to play forward and he discovered the joy of making goals versus the pressure of having to stop them. He summed up this experience by saying "I never knew hockey could be so much fun!" Since that moment, our son has been playing a position for which he had no experience or training and competes against kids with 10 years of both. He is having a blast and all because of the support of a good leader, his coach. What his coach clearly understood is the concept of team member engagement. With the high drop out rate in hockey at the high school level due to the demands of the game, high burn out and the number of competing sports courting these good athletes, he knew that the more his players enjoy the game and the team the better and the longer they will play with the team. Under his leadership and the similar leadership of the new coach this year, our son has worked hard, played every game and continues to grow his skills on a team where hard work and team spirit are the primary values. That is until now. Now that the team has made the top tier playoffs. The team lost their first two playoff games by one goal in each. With the threat of elimination, the coach announced after the second loss that he will only be playing the top skilled players in the remaining playoff games and the rest will have to "sit out". "Sit out" means they will not be allowed to dress in their uniforms for the games or sit with their team on the bench. Instead, they will sit in the stands, in shirts and ties, and cheer the stronger team members on to victory. This is an example of "silly season". "Silly season", whether in this example or in organizations, is when leaders give in to the pressure for immediate or short term results by behaving in ways that go against the very values key to their long term success - or for that matter, success in the very next month. In this example, the coach's decision models that winning is most important, not teaming or the love of the game. Initial reaction from his players was a feeling of betrayal to all they had worked so hard to be accompanied by an immediately drop in their respect for him. Those who will be told to "sit out" will be difficult to fully re-engage. Those who will be playing without their friends on the bench with them, will love the game a little less. From both groups, fewer players and families will decide to make the big investment of dollars and time when asked next month to commit to the spring league which will also impact the number and skill level of participation come the fall. The price that leaders pay when it appears that they have turned their backs on key values to chase short term gains, is their own credibility and the disengagement of those around them. For so many, "silly season" and year end, comes at the end of the calendar year and the winter holidays are spent trying to rest and recover. January comes all too soon - before they can fully recharge and re-commit and before you know it, the first month of the new year is gone. So that brings us back to today and your desire to be you at your best. Leading in a way that consistently honors the values most important to you and your organization is one of the most important keys to excel in your career and in your life. It is also a key to keeping yourself engaged, energized and enjoying the work that you do and the difference that you are making. Get "Ready, Aim, Excel" and engage today in making 2012 your best year yet! | 
