Summer is underrated as a diagnostic tool.
It is not when everything is running smoothly that you get to know your organization. It is when the usual structure — the meetings, the leadership, the informal channels — temporarily disappears.
What you see then is your culture. The real one.
- Who makes decisions when the manager is not there?
In a healthy organization, people know what they can decide on their own. They have the mandate, the confidence and the courage to use it.
In an organization where decision-making is centralized — deliberately or not — a vacuum appears when the manager is away. Things stop. People wait. Nothing happens.
If the organization stalls when you go on holiday, that is not a holiday problem. It is a delegation problem. And it needs to be addressed — not in September, but now. - What happens to the culture?
Culture is not your values statement. It is what happens when nobody is watching.
Summer is the moment when you can see what actually drives behavior in the organization. Is communication open or closed? Do people take responsibility or wait for instructions? Do people support each other or sit in their own silos?
What you see during the summer is what you have built during the rest of the year. If you like it — good. If you do not — that is information you need. - What is being pushed to the autumn?
There are always things that get delayed. That is human and understandable — nobody wants to burden the summer with difficult decisions.
But it is worth being conscious of what ends up on that pile. Are there important strategic decisions? Conflicts that need to be handled? Recruitments that should have started?
Autumn is always intense. Starting it with a long list of deferred questions makes it even heavier.
A simple exercise: write down the three most important things you are pushing back. Decide when they will be handled. And hold to it.
Summer is like a mirror
I often encourage leadership teams to take half a day at the end of August — before everything kicks off properly — and honestly review how the summer went.
What worked? What got stuck? What did you learn about your organization?
It is one of the most valuable half-days you can invest. And it costs nothing but time and honesty.
If you have thoughts, questions, or simply want to talk something through — feel free to get in touch. I am happy to have an initial conversation with no agenda.
Magdalena Hagström Ståhl
By M Consulting AB
Right person. Right place. Everything changes.