Monday Morning Blues? Do This to Get Your Week Started

At LexION Capital, I make a short presentation every other Monday morning that we call a “CatION.” Everyone conferences in–from our operations team to our independent contractors and representatives in the field. I spend mere minutes presenting the CatION, but that one infusion of positive energy sets off a chain reaction that lasts all week and beyond.

CatION plays off the last three letters of the firm’s name – ion which stands for ionic charge, a nod to the undergrad degree in Chemistry that I and the client who encouraged me to found the firm have in common. There are negative charges (anions) and positive charges (cations). So for us, the Monday CatION is a karmic high-five given in recognition of outstanding work that exemplifies LexION’s core values.

It is also a way to beat the Monday morning blues and start off the week on a productive note.

10 Minutes That Will Change Your Work Week

Take time every Monday morning to make a short presentation that gets people fired up and reiterates why you do what you do–link the team to the core culture of the firm.

How? Contextualize the day-to-day tasks in the broader sense of your mission. Recognize outstanding effort by members of your team, and loop them in on progress being made. This helps foster a sense of connectedness among different departments, and reinforces that you’re all there for the same reason. Bring outside inspiration by connecting your work to that of other groundbreaking entrepreneurs, both contemporary and historical. Get people excited to go back to their desks.

On non-CatION Mondays, the presentation highlights game-changing businesses entrepreneurs, from the Wright Brothers (and the lesser known but no less laudable Wright Sister, Katherine, who was instrumental in their success) to Chateau Montelana, the winery that put Napa Valley on the map by famously upsetting French Chardonnay in an international blind taste test competition. I discuss their success and how it ties into our core values. We look at ways in which LexION Capital can continue to grow and improve in the same vein. 

First, it’s critical that each member of your team feels like a vital part of something larger. When people are personally invested in a greater mission, from admins to executives, they do better work. Period. And they are happier for it.

Second, it instills a sense of pride and ownership. You want people in every role to know that their work has an impact. Recognizing excellence shows people that they are valued and vital contributors, working toward a meaningful goal.

Third, it creates a sense of camaraderie based on shared values and drive–which builds rapport in a way that chit-chatting over happy hour drinks never will. You can’t ask for better team building than getting everyone excited about a common goal.

Presenting a Monday positive helps your team stay focused, motivated, and excited. It’s the best 10 minutes you’ll spend all week. You can shift Monday’s dour reputation with a touch of inspiration–TGIM!