We could say happy January to you, but if you’re like a lot of our leaders it might not feel like that just yet. January is a weird transition time, right? Your body is back, but your head sure isn’t.

But here’s the good news – you don’t need to be the world’s best leader out of the gate. Nope. In fact, it might serve you and your team to hold the guns blazing action and bide your time. Not sure how to go about it? Don’t sweat it. In this newsletter we’ll share:

• 5 ways to navigate the January work re-entry
• A great way to ‘sharpen the saw’

5 ways to navigate the January work re-entry

1. Re-engage your team

Getting people reconnected is the first order of business after a break. Whether that’s online, offline, coffee chats or team meetings – we suggest you prioritise connection BEFORE making plans. As a leader, acknowledging January is a time of transition and allowing people to refocus gradually will serve you – and your team morale – for the rest of the year.

2. Manage results, not timesheets

It’s January guys! It’s summer Down Under.

Be reasonable and manage what people are producing, not how much time they spend at their desks. Be clear on the deliverables and the timeframes and trust your team members to manage their output.

3. Allow creativity with working hours and locations

If you’ve got a surfer on the team, maybe they want to catch the morning swell and be at their desk at 10. Or you’ve got a mum who wants to work from home 3 days a week while her kids are still on holidays. Being adaptable increases productivity, and work-life balance is a win for everyone’s mental health.

4. Create room to grow

An article in the Harvard Business Review talked about how it’s a tough time to be a leader right now and the ongoing support they need to ‘meet the moment’. It could be leadership development, peer support initiatives or sharpening the saw of an existing skill. HBR asks: “What would it take to be a great leader? What do you need?”

Ask this of your managers and teams and watch their engagement and excitement grow for the year ahead.

5. Read the room

As a leader you might want to come back to work firing on all cylinders and feel like that’s setting the best example for your team. We get it. But often your team just isn’t there yet. Trying to corral your people as soon as they return is going to be like herding cats. So save yourself some time, energy and angst, and wait for the right time to put the pedal to the metal (aka Tuesday 28th January, after the Australia Day public holiday!)

The HBR article says 70% of team engagement is determined solely by the manager. And success here is in part about bringing your ‘human’ to work – seeing your team as people and understanding they can’t be ‘on’ all the time. And neither can you. So don’t stress about being the world’s best leader on your first day back. Allow yourself and your team to reconnect, refocus and when the time is right, fire up those engines.

A great way to ‘sharpen the saw’

Leadership development doesn’t always have to be about learning new skills but about deepening existing ones, which is why starting the year with our LSI 360 diagnostic tools can really set a positive trajectory for the next 12 months.

When Tactician leads you through the LSI 360-degree process, it reveals what leaders are good at already, how they can improve, what strengths they didn’t realise they had and, of course, where they could be more effective.

If you’d like your leadership team to start the year with a clear roadmap for how to become more resourceful, impactful leaders, let us know. We’re working away in the background if you would like to talk, shoot the breeze or discuss ideas for 2025. You can reach us via reply email or 1300 110 165.