It's a little past mid-year now, which means mid-year reviews are in full swing for many of us in the corporate world. True story: I was trying to type "mid-year review" and autocorrect flagged my spelling fail (revew) and suggested "renew." Mid-Year Renews: I like that WAY better. Not only is there a cyclical component, there's the aspect of restoration, change, and beginning again, like new. Thank you, autocorrect!
Our brains autocorrect too, our imaginations filling in the gaps when something we hear or see doesn't quite compute. Who hasn't been singing away, only to have someone point out we're singing the wrong lyrics? Spoiler Alert: It's not "Hold me closer, Tony Danza." Sweet dreams are not made of cheese. Selena Gomez is not "farting carrots" and Adele is not "chasing penguins." Also, the lyrics are never "sausage," as a general rule. Starship and Queen would agree that no civilization "built this city on sausage rolls" and no individual is saving their life from "warm sausage tea." Bon Jovi isn't promoting a nudist lifestyle in Living on a Prayer either. In most cases, it does make a difference "if we're naked or not," but the song lyrics are "if we make it or not." Don't let that stop you though.
I digress. My point is, sometimes the autocorrect fails are actually better. I prefer "We Got Big Feet" to "We Got the Beat" (sorry, Go-Go's) and I prefer mid-year renews over mid-year reviews.
In my experience, mid-year can be a time to reflect, reconnect with what's most important, and renew our intentions, commitments, and energy going into the second half of the year. Or, it can be a time to check all the boxes with as little effort as possible, because everyone knows end-of-year reviews are where the money is. Speaking of, it's not "money for nothing and chips for free," although I prefer that version too.
As you move through this phase in the performance management cycle, consider approaching it as a mid-year renew for yourself and your team: a time to reflect, realign, and refresh.
Reflect: Big Wheels Keep on Turnin'
As a kid, I thought Creedence Clearwater Revival was referring to Big Wheels, as in the plastic tricycles I wasn't allowed to have (because hippies avoid plastic like the plague). And, I figured Proud Mary had to be a relatively small boat because the person on the Big Wheel had to keep turning as they rode it around the deck. Not even close to the meaning of the song, of course. These days, it brings to mind the big wheel of life, but I still can’t help but picture that Big Wheel.
As we navigate the cycles in our lives and work, certain transition points naturally prompt us to pause and reflect – the end of a quarter, mid-year, a new year, the phases of the moon, or changing seasons. If you're looking at big cycles, Rudolph Steiner’s theory is that people develop in seven-year cycles. So, it can be eye-opening to consider our notable events within these seven-year buckets. (i.e. What stands out for you from years 0-7, 7-14, 14-21, 21-28, and so on?) The key is to know where you are in the various cycles and regularly honor each aspect, reflecting on: new beginnings (what you're creating), endings (periods of transition), and all the time in between (what we're growing and sustaining). They’re all important!
If you're into astrology, you know that each lunar phase has a different energy and opportunity associated with it. The new moon is a great time for reflection, planning, and getting ready and energized to start a new creative cycle. The full moon is a time for culmination, appreciation, evaluating what we've achieved, then getting ready to rest and release before a new creative cycle begins. Since I'm publishing this during the new moon, I've included a free New Moon Manifestation guide below. Alternatively, if you want to know what to do when "there's a bad moon on the rise," you'll have to ask CCR, unless you're of the opinion they're singing "there's a bathroom on the right." (They're not.)
Realign: Carrying a Laser
Right, it's "Kyrie Eleison," not carrying a laser. Mr. Mister might disagree, but carrying a laser down the road that you must travel could be helpful, especially in the "darkness of the night."
You might be wondering what this has to do with anything, let alone mid-year performance cycles. Here's the deal: After we've paused to reflect, it's important to take a moment to realign with our vision, our "why," before we move forward. Periodically checking in with what motivates us and coming back to our guiding principles is energizing. It also helps us see our goals and next steps more clearly. What lights your path? What guides you? What are the principles, values, or behaviors you connect with organizationally and/or individually? What do you need to recommit to, recalibrate with, or fine-tune?
Realigning to what matters most helps us progress with laser focus. Professionally, I tend to anchor back to leadership principles and company values. Personally, I'm inspired by The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. This small book with its powerful, timeless wisdom, set me on a journey that fundamentally changed me. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable with Your Word, Don't Take Anything Personally, Don't Make Assumptions, and Always Do Your Best. They seem simple enough, but there's a world of challenge and opportunity in each. So, when I realign I also recommit to these agreements. I included a link to the book in the More to Explore section, if you're interested.
Refresh: Or Keep Chasing Penguins
I didn't have the first clue what Chasing Pavements meant when I first heard Adele's song. If you're today years old when you realized the lyrics are not "chasing penguins," I feel you. I still can't unhear it. The correct phrase, however, is "chasing pavements," which means a fruitless activity, according to Urban Dictionary. That said, chasing penguins seems pretty fruitless as well, so I’m sticking with that: a mid-year refresh is a chance to stop chasing penguins – to assess what's working, admit what's not, and choose what we want to give our time and energy to moving forward. To borrow from The Eagles' song Desperado: If you've "been out ridin' fences" this is your chance to decide. (Incidentally, for anyone wondering, the lyrics in Desperado are not, "You've been outright offensive for so long now." You're welcome.)
A mid-year renew is about setting (or resetting) our intentions. If you've read my earlier blogs, you know I prefer career intentions to goals. Creating career intentions is similar to goal-setting in many ways: We define where we want to grow and identify a few focus areas to work toward over a specific timeframe – this could be the next performance cycle or longer-term. There's a focus on specific actions, attributes, and behaviors that we can directly influence, change, and measure. And, we make them meaningful to us – to help maintain motivation when challenges inevitably arise. The difference is connecting with our higher purpose and approaching our career progression and professional development with a beginner's mindset.
I’ve found reframing goals as career intentions helps me align and support the personal and professional aspects of my life in a way that’s more meaningful and impactful. Career intentions are similar (enough) to goals, so you can most likely use them within your company’s performance management process and not duplicate efforts. Download the free guide below for more on setting career intentions.
More to Explore!
For more on beginner's mindset, check out our blog post: The Gift of Feeling Stupid. If you're interested in purchasing Don Miguel Ruiz's book, here's the Amazon link: The Four Agreements. Downloads of the new moon reflection and career intention guides referenced in this blog post are available below. And, you can subscribe on the Executive Hippie Life site and follow us on social media channels @ExecHippieLife for more!
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