Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! It’s time to look ahead to the return of fall and all that brings. Holiday season planning should begin in earnest, as should any serious revamp or upgrade projects that you put off due to vacations or shorter summer hours. And then it’s time to start strategizing for the traditional winter low season and next summer. In short, there’s a lot of work that needs doing.

For you see, summer is the season of temptation. At the first sign of warmer weather, longer days and that searing heat, not only does the amount of clothing worn start to dwindle, but often, so does the commitment given by employees and employers. The outside beckons: the beach, the lake, watersports, golf, road trips, restaurant patios, outdoor concerts, farmers’ markets or a simple drive in the convertible. There’s just too much to lure you away from the desk, and with this behavior creeping into one’s routine over the course of three months, it’s hard to wean off.

From my experience, Labor Day must presage a return to higher levels of productivity. It’s important to treat it as a grand delineation so you can invigorate your whole team to perform as effectively as possible. It’s a jolt back to normalcy.

This year, I implore you to be a true charismatic leader and make a formal speech to your staffers once they are all back and well rested from the long weekend. Get them back on the right track with a positive message about the merits of hard work as well as your own personal support and enthusiasm for the company’s mission.

In addition, lead by example. Set personal goals for yourself, and in order to see them through, divide these goals up into smaller and smaller objectives that can be easily tracked and accomplished within a couple hours. Big broad goals can be incredibly intimidating, which can lead to procrastination and a tunnel vision set on short-term issues. Segregating large undertakings into more readily doable tasks actually helps you to better envision the long term.

This is my message to you this Labor Day. Treat it as yet another pseudo-New Year’s Day. So, wherever you are this weekend, take some time and reflect on what you hope to accomplish for the remaining four months of the year. Then once you are back, go about organizing your day and forming a game plan so your goals are actually achievable. Aside from that, I wish you a very safe and fun long weekend!

(Article published by Larry Mogelonsky in HOTELSmag on August 30, 2013)