Have you caught the articles about the “lunch bag letdown” effect that VANOC volunteers, organizers and in deed the resident’s of Vancouver are experiencing post-Olympic party? According to the Mayor of Salt Lake City, another former Olympic host, the post-event blues can trigger a feeling akin to depression amongst the people left behind.
This got me thinking about the double-edged sword of success. On the one hand, when you achieve something of “olympic” proportions” the thrill and confidence it instills in a team is huge. But then reality sets in and it’s time for “now what?”.
As Tomer Strolight, President of TorStar Digital shared with our members this morning, in business (and possibly life in general) once you’ve climbed one summit you realize there are other ones still ahead of you. For some people that’s highly motivating… for others, not so much.
And, this is something that I think leaders need to be aware of as they set challenging targets. It’s not just about the party you’re going to throw when you succeed, but what are you going to do to quickly pull your team through the post-party blues to start scaling that next summit?
The motivational dip after a big win seems to be common. After running a business and running sales teams for years, I always noticed that the first month after year-end was a tough one for many of my team. People had achieved their budgets/targets and there was this feeling of “ugh… now I have to start from ground zero again.”
As leaders, the post-celebration melt down is an ideal time to focus the team on the excitement of the new year and the new summit that you’re ready to climb. Recognize that you may need to spend some time getting people re-pumped… even if you’re not tackling anything really new. In fact, tackling “more of the same” might require you to get creative and re-engage the troops with fresh eyes.
Remember, plan for the party when you knock the lights out of your goal, but be ready to pull the troops (and maybe yourself) through the post-party let down.
Happy leading!
