Photo credit: mattersofgrey.com/

We hate to break it to you but your long Madaraka Day weekend has finally come to a close! We trust your days were spent relaxing and recharging for the new month that marks the halfway point of 2014. As a business owner or logistics manager, we’re sure you have taken the necessary steps to ensure June becomes one of your more productive months. “What steps?” you ask? Allow us to share.

One good way to kick off your new month is to refer to your New Years’ resolutions and goals made for the company way back in January. Remember those? With five months of hopefully successful business under your belt, now is the time to check your plan for the year, noting what actions you have or have not implemented, and using these to honestly rate your company’s performance thus far. Should you find that you are working according to schedule, congratulations! If you have fallen behind, fear not, there is still time to rectify. Work out what needs to be done to get you back on track with your yearly plan and spend June focused on living up to your own expectations.

This leads us to our next point: have a plan of action, specifically for the month of June. As previously discussed, the best way to meet your yearly targets I to break them down into bite-sized morsels that fit month by month. Take stock of business successes and setbacks in May, and new changes in the industry landscape to ensure that you have all the information necessary to set accurate and realistic goals for the month. Set accountability checks for every week that you can share with your staff to ensure that you are not caught flat-footed by the end of the month and prepare to work as hard as it takes to achieve them.

As for your employees, the beginning of the month is a great time to provide motivation to keep them working happily and efficiently for the coming days. A good way to jump-start this would be to hold an employee meeting where grievances can be aired and addressed, to ensure no lingering issues are carried forward from May. You would be surprised how many excellent ideas for increased efficiency you will get from your employees as they are down on the ground confronting these issues directly. Should budget allow, you can have a team building exercise or outing to build and cement good employee relationships, and also show that the company cares for the well-being of its staff.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

While we’re at it, why not take your company in a favorable new direction? Find a good cause or charity to donate your time to and schedule activities for the month, including your employees in the duty roster if they are willing. Not only is it a good move for the business to be involved in corporate social responsibility, it is also a great way to give back to the community that supports your operations and help those in need.

With all these exciting new activities to undertake for the productivity of your business, we hope we’ve cured you of the “Monday Blues” that generally comes with returning to work after a long weekend. Here’s to a successful and focused June! Have a motivated month, won’t you?