It rained hard last night and woke me up several times.

But I shouldn’t be surprised. I live in Portland, Oregon and this is the season of rain.

I whine about it all the time. It’s cold and it keeps me indoors. Yet, it is that very same rain that keeps Oregon green and beautiful. And rain represents a different seasonal cycle welcomed by many. For them, it  represents a change in lifestyle as the winter months shake things up a bit.

So today, I’m going to try and embrace the advent of the rain and stop griping about it.  In this process, I started thinking about the cyclical seasons of leadership. There are sunny times with lots of activity and connections, and then there is the colder, rainy season, when things by necessity slow down. 

It’s a time of planning and indoor reflection. A time to reinvest in employees and plant seeds for new relationships that can be activated through the year. It’s a time to pause and learn, personally and with staff (when they all aren’t on vacation).

The season of winter…of rain and snow in many parts of the country, offers leaders many opportunities to:

1. Invest in staff training to grow your employees
2. Host an annual all staff meeting, to jointly plan for the coming year
3. Re-dedicate yourself to servant leadership, meeting with each employee to support their annual goals
4. Be creative, encouraging staff to brainstorm, using the right brain – drawing and writing
5. Investigate and explore new stakeholders and meet with them
6. Share, laugh, enjoy the camaraderie of your colleagues, with indoor activities.  How about a monthly potluck lunch? 
7. Read a new leadership book
8. Dedicate a day to volunteer as a team with a local nonprofit. This season can be hard on vulnerable populations

The change of pace as the rains return can be a fruitful time of great productivity and creativity.

So, I’m going to try to smile and embrace this particular leadership season, quit complaining and celebrate the precipitation all around me. 

~hcollaborative.com~