Thermoforming Report

by Keith Brown, President & Owner, Siena Group

How to Maintain Momentum Through the Holidays

The end-of-year holidays are upon us! As this is published, Thanksgiving is next week, then Christmas four weeks later, and New Year’s just a week after that. Parties, family gatherings, dinners, shopping, church events, and more all pack our already-busy schedules. 

How can you – and your team – continue to deliver results with all the other holiday stuff happening around us? We’ve compiled several articles highlighting how we can “maintain the momentum” throughout this end-of-year season. Going all in with the word-play, how can we sleigh it in the next 6 weeks?!? 

The short answer is hopefully more of the same. The articles below using ‘momentum’ in their titles provide great ways to accomplish it!

Making a List!

Checking it Twice!

I urge you to not just scan down through these lists!  Go back and click on the links and read the articles. They are short and provide insights tailored to the holiday season. 

That said… did you notice the same thing I did?  Shouldn’t we be doing these things all year, and not just over the holidays?!? 

The answer is yes. We tend to think about things differently during the course of the year (or fiscal year depending on your organization). 

• The beginning is a period of setting new goals, looking ahead to a fresh start, and generally feeling refreshed for what’s to come. 
• The middle gets muddled but is where a lot of progress is made. 
• The end is a time of reflection on what was accomplished and typically a mad dash to deliver on those annual commitments.   

The fact is that we should be focused on the most important things first, all the time.  We should always have open and strong communication.  We should always recognize the efforts of our team members.  We should always align our expectations and deliverables to the needs of the organization.  And on and on from the lists above! 

So why the lists?  And why now? 

We are human, and humans need to be reminded. This is especially the case when the distractions are at their highest, and the holidays are definitely one of those times! At the beginning of the 20-item list above, the author describes it succinctly: 

“As end-of-year deadlines collide with festive celebrations, it’s easy for employees to feel stretched thin. Maintaining the right balance of work and life requires thoughtful strategies to protect personal time while keeping up with your professional priorities.” Forbes, 11/18/24

Well said! 

Or as Bilbo Baggins said to Gandalf in Lord of the Rings: “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.” JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)

Ho, Ho, Hold On!

My thoughts? The short version is to be deliberate and stay rested. I know that sounds simple – and it is.  But think about it: 

• The workload can get amped up because you are still trying to deliver on the month and year with little time left and already have time off planned. Therefore, you have to cram more into a day which means longer days.   
• Leaders are trying to frantically get performance reviews done. This is an add-on to your already busy schedule, and to do it well takes time. 
• Summaries and analyses and results are being aggregated and written. Financials are being rolled up. All of these are not typical tasks and take time, effort, and resources. 
• After several long days, you have to do a quick turn around, get changed, and go to a party. It may be a party you want to go to… or maybe you are dreading it for whatever reason. If you want to be there, you may indulge too much. Or you don’t want to be there and dread it, dragging yourself around under false pretenses. Either way, you will be up late and will be tired.   
• Last minute shopping means long hours and long lines, traffic, and the general chaos that ensues starting on Black Friday. 

When you add it all up, you’ve been burning it at both ends and losing sleep. And when your tank is running low, things tend to not go well. So, drink lots of water, get as much rest as possible, and enjoy the sleigh ride! 

Wrapping it Up

How do we navigate this season as leaders? 

Awareness of the additional stresses is key. And though it may not make sense to implement a lot of change right now, consider the lists above and choose the best fit for your organization & culture. If your organization is lacking in an area, work towards implementing improvements in 2025 in anticipation of next year’s season! 

Most importantly, take care of your team. It matters. We are all busy and want to do good work.  Enable them to do so utilizing many of these tools, and the results will follow over the next few weeks… and beyond! 

At Siena Group, we are your Thermoforming Talent Partner! We’re here to help in any and every way possible! With more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing, hiring & recruiting talent, we bring a greater understanding of the companies we partner with and the candidates we pursue. Let’s Strengthen Your Search!