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Hi Reader,

Are you a fan of puzzles? What about those huge jigsaws where every piece looks like it could fit almost anywhere?

That’s exactly how running a business feels these days. Leaders are constantly trying to fit pieces together in ways they’ve never had to before.

Now let’s talk about three words you don’t usually hear together in the same breath: strategy, daily tasks, and layoffs. At first glance, they might sound like they belong in entirely different meetings, but in reality, these topics are tangled together more often than you’d think.

Leaders are trying to juggle plans, a massive to-do list, and the tricky reality of downsizing. It’s like working on a puzzle with a few missing pieces, and you just can’t make it fit together.

And just when you finally find those elusive side pieces under the couch, you realize the last two corner pieces are missing. This happens to me all the time, and as a person who has to finish what I start, it puzzles me to no end…no pun intended.

Finding the pieces

Teams naturally grow and shrink, and that’s just part of doing business. Bringing in a fractional strategic leader to guide your big-picture thinking can make all the difference, whether you’re expanding or downsizing. This could be supporting projects, products, or operations to help you sort through the puzzle together.

And it’s always easier to solve a puzzle (and much quicker) when you have someone by your side.

Fractional strategic leaders step in, align your initiatives with the company’s overall direction, and then help the “worker bees” focus on getting the daily work done.

Otherwise, you risk redundancy, wasted resources, and work that doesn't actually move your business forward.

And what about the worker bees? How are they feeling nowadays?

Worker bees absorbed

We’ve all been there: one day you’re focused on your usual tasks, and the next, your role has suddenly merged with three others. You let out a sigh, put your head down, and figure out what these new responsibilities are, and how to tackle them as efficiently as possible.

Or perhaps, after some company shake-ups and layoffs, you find yourself taking on more duties than ever, and wondering where your work-life balance went. You become a pro at prioritizing, but your to-do list just keeps getting longer and more complicated.

But here’s a bright idea: what if your company brought in some fractional help for you too?

Imagine someone swooping in to help you for just a couple hours a week, so you can actually focus on both getting things done? Of course, for those monster-sized initiatives, maybe it’s closer to 30+ hours.

Either way, you, as the ever important worker bee, stay focused on what matters most, while those tough pieces start to fall into place.

Solve puzzles together

A tip - when times get tough, don’t forget to tap your network. There’s no shame in asking “How are you coping?” and you’ll be surprised at the smart ideas others have about how to solve difficult puzzles.

As I said in last week’s article titled Learning to Swim, we’re here for you. Partnerships and collaboration are the only way forward.

If we’ve worked together before, let’s keep our partnership going. If we’re new to each other, let’s set aside some time to solve puzzling challenges for clients together. Not sure where to start? Start somewhere.

The first few pieces are always the hardest. After that it becomes much easier. I promise.

Ready to tackle your puzzle together? Book some solving time here.

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Learning To Swim: Happy partnerships

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