Spring is officially here.  The early tell-tale signs of the spring season are around us. The birds are chirping, flowers are in bloom and the sun is starting to peak out.  For many, spring fever has also kicked into gear.  But with the hints of rebirth around us, now is the perfect time to stop the distractions and spring into focus at work.

Why now?  For most, the first quarter is usually full of excitement, challenge and optimism.  But as the weeks go by, priorities begin to shift, challenges arise and projects may become derailed.   It is easy to coast off track and allow your organization to fall behind.  The 2nd quarter hangover can quickly loom over your team.

The following five tips can help you reenergize the firm to meet key objectives and jump start the 2nd quarter.

1. Set goals.  Setting SMART goals is one way to gain alignment and buy-in for a team.  SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. Taking the time to set clear expectations and direction will allow team members to focus more diligently and rally around the most important goals for the company.  My team sets very specific goals for our associates at Etech as well as for our professionals at Creative Choice Group.  Whether you have 1 person or 10,000 employees, setting objectives that are clear is an important step for long term success and growth.
2. De-clutter.  There is nothing better than spring cleaning.  Purging is an awesome feeling.  It allows one to shed unnecessary weight or burden.  The same thing applies to the work environment.  Proactively stop, eliminate or deselect tasks or projects that are non-critical.  Freeing up yourself and your team to put their energy into the right objectives is healthy for everyone.
3. Stretch.   Encouraging your team through reinforcement, rewards and targeted compensation can sometimes drive the unexpected outcome.  You will be surprised how a team will elevate their game given the right incentive.
4. Benchmark the competition.  Our Creative Choice Group is based in Florida.  We specialize in commercial real estate and investing.  There is no shortage of firms that have similar investment strategies.  One thing we do to dust off the cobwebs and kick start the team is to challenge the group to proactively gather competitive intelligence.  By looking for ways to actively beat your competitors, you can strive to achieve best in class levels of operation.
5. Change the Status Quo.  As they say, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result.  If you want to change your focus, energy or direction, now is the time to switch things up.  Being open minded and allowing team members to be creative not only enhances performance but helps evolve the culture of the firm at large.  I am not suggesting you need to go completely crazy.  There is no time for non-value added activity or unnecessary conflict that leads to law suits.  However, there is something to be said for changing things up to foster creativity thinking in the work environment.

Take advantage of the season.  The clocks sprung forward. Now is it time for your business to spring forward too.