Game of Thrones, and its Song of Ice and Fire source material before it, connected with viewers around the globe for a variety of reasons. Arguably first among them was escapism. For an hour each week, viewers would disconnect from their lives and focus instead on this intoxicating fantasy realm, replete with magic, medieval brutality, and dragons. But even the most seemingly imaginative of otherworldly distractions requires some ties to everyday reality to land with an audience. For Games of Thrones, one such stark (and Stark) pronouncement that permeated the zeitgeist and became an everyday part of the cultural lexicon was the oft-repeated, ever-ominous assertion: Winter is coming. As clocks turn back in most of the western world, we must contend with the fact that, though we are still in the throes of autumn, winter has come, or at the very least is coming, bringing with it the annual productivity malaise that accompanies the season of darkness.
Winter is the least productive season for businesses. That’s according to research from project management software company Redbooth, published in Forbes magazine1. The company analysed their data over a four-year period and found that in winter users completed 22.8% of their tasks on average, compared with 27.3% in the autumn, 25.4% in the summer and 24.5% in the spring. A report by British Summer Fruits2 found that during the colder months, 74% of people find it harder to get out of bed for work, while 37% are far more likely to call in sick. In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens proclaimed that, “Darkness is cheap.” Not, it seems, if you’re running a business contending with a seasonal productivity slump.
Why does winter hamper our productivity?
Some of the reasons for our drop off in productivity through the winter months are clear to all. The first is that, naturally, we get less light during winter than we do during the other seasons as there are less hours of sunlight. This minimises the amount of Vitamin D we receive, which can negatively impact3 our mood and performance. The darkness, paired with the cold, also has a motivational impact. We are less inclined to get out of bed and go for a pre/post-work walk or run (or whatever wellness habit floats your boat) on a dark, wet and windy day than we are in the height of summer. And this kickstarts a cycle. As we become less active, we become lazier. And laziness only breeds more laziness. Lack of exercise leads to lack of motivation to eat well, which in turn gets made worse by the cold weather that makes filling comfort foods a more appetising prospect than that mid-November salad. The downward spiral becomes self-fulfilling and self-perpetuating. Once our routine is broken, it becomes incredibly difficult to get back on the wagon. At least until the frost melts and we’re returned to the hope of spring.
There are scientific reasons for our winter malaise too. Darkness—or more precisely, lack of natural light—is proven to have a significant impact on our mood, alertness and general well-being4. Our body clocks, or circadian rhythms, are naturally tied to the sun’s hours. In winter, we often rise in darkness, throwing our bodies into what Greg Murray, professor of psychology at Swinburne University in Australia, calls “phase delay”5. Phase delay means that our circadian clocks are nudged later during winter, so that piercing iPhone alarm is going to feel much crueller the day after the clocks go back than it did before. Bad news for the annual optimists preaching the virtues of “the extra hour in bed”.
That’s not to mention the one in fifteen people who deal with seasonal affective disorder6 (SAD), a number that may be on the rise7. For sufferers of SAD, winter brings about prolonged mood changes and oftentimes spells of severe and debilitating depression. The point, if it weren’t already clear, is that the effect winter has on our mood and performance is profound. But there are steps we can take to minimise darkness’ damage and try to keep on track.
Battling the elements
Let’s start with the body. In order to counteract the lack of vitamin D, we’d be well advised to take supplements through the winter8 (and maybe through other parts of the year). Which is not to say supplements can suffice for the real thing. We should absolutely try to get outside during daylight hours as much as possible. That can be a run or walk on our lunch break, or pre-work for the early risers. In fact, one benefit of the ubiquity of home and hybrid-working patterns in the wake of the pandemic is that it gives us greater autonomy over our working schedules, meaning we may feel more comfortable putting work on hold to get outside during working hours than we would if doing so required leaving an absent desk in the view of potentially disapproving colleagues and bosses.
In the same way we might subsidise the vitamins and nutrients we receive from natural light, so too might we subsidise natural light itself. Those who suffer from SAD will likely already be familiar with SAD lamps9, a form of light therapy designed to replicate daylight and trick the body into releasing serotonin in the same manner it would through warmer months. This concept is no longer reserved exclusively for sufferers of SAD, with many leading lighting brands now offering some form of bio-adaptive lighting10—designed to work in tandem with the circadian rhythm— that mimics the sun’s natural patterns and helps the body react to artificial light as it would to the natural variety it is impersonating. This can improve our mood, alertness, sleep pattern, and even our creativity. Similarly, such lights can work as alarm clocks, simulating the look and feel of sunrise to wake us up naturally, removing the bleakness of surrounding blackness from our waking experience so we’re less likely to start our day in a negative mindset.
Light and its benefits aside, what can you do to enhance productivity? Tick off tasks first thing. Mark Twain famously said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” He was being facetious, of course, but studies show that ticking off a major task early11 can set us up on the path for achieving more throughout the day. Others agree that completing tasks early is the way to go but argue that it’s better to accomplish a few small, achievable tasks12 first thing rather than anything monumental, simply to get your mind in the habit of getting things done and feeling productive. Neither option will be right for everyone, so the trick is finding which works for you.
If you already have a routine heading into the winter months, don’t let it slip. It’s all too easy to let those first bitter mornings destabilise an established, fully functional set of morning habits and break the cycle. And starting a routine again is far harder than keeping one up. If you do happen to slip up, don’t worry. According to a study13 published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, missing any single day of a particular habit has no impact on your long-term ability to stick to the habit. But as Atomic Habits author James Clear notes14, “the most important thing is not to prevent mistakes altogether, but to avoid making a mistake twice in a row.” So, if you falter, as we all do, rather than castigating yourself, instead focus your attention on avoiding the second mistake.
Maintaining a routine through the winter months could be key to not letting your standards drop off, so if you have one, keep it going. If you don’t, it’s never too late to get started. As the entrepreneur Jim Rohn notes, “Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.”
Let routine bring some light to your winter—and keep the dark slump at bay.
References
2 https://palife.co.uk/news/winter-slump-productivity-suffers-in-the-colder-months/
3 https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-vitamin-d
4 https://www.business.com/articles/flick-of-a-switch-how-lighting-affects-productivity-and-mood/
5 https://www.wired.com/story/science-explains-why-we-should-work-shorter-hours-winter/
6 https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/overview/
9 https://www.healthline.com/health/sad-lamp
10 https://www.interact-lighting.com/global/capabilities/bio-adaptive-lighting
12 https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/07/change-your-life-procrastination-burkeman
13 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.674
14 https://jamesclear.com/second-mistake
Finding the right leadership talent is increasingly important in developing competitive advantage. Research published in the Harvard Business Review suggests that those with superior talent strategies will have a greater likelihood of excelling in their sectors. Getting recruitment right is seen as critical to this. These findings are also supported by respected management consultancy firm, McKinsey & Company. McKinsey undertook research identified that, “Superior talent is up to eight times more productive”. What is more, the productivity gap between average performers and high performers is at its greatest when job roles are of very high complexity – such as in the case of executive roles.
Choosing between executive search services in Ireland essential, especially since the right leadership in key roles incfluence the productivity of your teams.
In Ireland, the executive search process has distinct differences from that in other nations. This is due to the culture and importance of local networks. Understanding local company knowledge is key to a successful executive search in Ireland. The information that follows will help with understanding how the executive search process works in Ireland, and how this differs to other places.
A great executive search Ireland is made up of 12 steps, and these are now explained.
Executive search in Ireland – the 12 steps
Step 1: Establish client needs
At the outset, a meeting between the client and the executive search team is required to identify client requirements. These will include an overview of the role and time frame for filling the post. The team will ask questions to find out more about the company. They will also probe the client to gain an understanding of first thoughts about the type of person who might be a good match for the role.
Step 2: Analysis phase
Further analysis is required at this early stage to maximise the search opportunity. The executive search firm will analyse the company culture to ensure the candidate selected will be an appropriate fit. This is one of the most important factors, supported by a study showing that 84% of recruiters believe this to be the case. Other than this, further analysis may also include introductions to others in the executive team to gain a clear understanding of the personality profile needed to succeed.
Step 3: Clarify budget
Understanding the benefit structure for Executive Searches in Ireland is very helpful in developing the right budget. In turn, having the right budget is important so that the role will be compelling for the right candidates. The search firm can help advise the client in this area to ensure the benefit structure is right for the position. Expertise in the Irish recruitment market is very beneficial in this regard.
Step 4: Development of a person specification
Following the analysis the person specification is built. This includes key information that will help with an executive search in Ireland. This is especially important for leadership positions, as they will influence the culture and productivity of your team. It achieves this by pinpointing the essential and desirable skills and qualifications that are sought. It also describes the role and responsibilities that the successful candidate will perform.
Getting this right is critical as it shapes the whole recruitment process. It also needs to attract optimal candidates and deter those that are unsuitable. When done well, this document helps to define the employer value proposition. A well thought out person specification will provide indicators to potential candidates about the company’s vision, what it values and the type of person that will succeed.
Step 5: Scan networks
Local networks can be a very useful source of information for executive search in Ireland. Through drawing on these, it may be possible to identify suitable targets that would be a good fit. A locally based firm with a strong network has the advantage in knowing where to look. Our services are often more effective because of our well established network of leadership talent. Given that private networking is a key tool that executive recruitment firms use in identifying suitable candidates, it is worth asking some questions about the company’s networks before selecting a firm.
Step 6: Review local and international talent
Both local and international leadership talent opportunities should be reviewed. With a population of just 4.9 million, Ireland has a relatively small pool of leadership talent to draw on, and in some cases “glaring talent shortages. For this reason it is beneficial to consider international talent too. A good executive search team will have a network that includes both local and international leadership talent in a variety of sectors, or in the case of a specialised firm, in the industry they focus on.
If you are using an Executive Search Services Company in Ireland, make sure to ask them about their network. This is one of the strongest points of working with Lincoln.
Step 7: Build a short list
Further search strategy techniques are deployed to develop a suitable short list for the client. This requires market analysis and reviewing tools like LinkedIn to find candidates. The firm also scans its database of candidates to pinpoint suitable matches. Important areas of focus include whether the potential candidate is a good cultural fit, and the level of interest and commitment they may have towards this new opportunity. This helps with analysing turnover intentions. Given that the recruitment process is so expensive, this is very important. All of this research, along with the analysis of networks and local and international potential will be utilised to build and refine a short list of the right leadership talent.
Step 8: Candidate qualification and refinement of short list
Candidate qualification is required to narrow down possibilities. Through a meticulous matching process, the candidate list is whittled down to those that are a close fit. This includes interviews with potential candidates to establish capability and interest. A basic referencing process is also performed for any candidates that will be put forward.
Step 9: Handover of short list
One of our core services is to organize the list to make it efficient for you to conduct the next phase of hiring. A short list is passed on to the client for the recruitment process to continue. By this point, there will be no more than five potential candidates. More detailed referencing checks are performed at this stage. Before the client makes a final decision, the executive search firm can weigh in if needed.
Step 10: Make offer
Once the client selects their candidate, the executive search firm will make an offer to that individual. At this level there is normally some negotiation around the benefits package and start dates, among other factors. One of the services that your search team can help with is going over these offer details. Good executive search firms will be experienced with helping the candidate and the company come to an agreement that works for both parties.
Step 11: Onboarding
One of the incremental services that the executive search firm may include is helping with onboarding process of your new leadership talent. This varies depending on the contract agreed with the executive search firm at the outset. Onboarding services are often seen as separate from recruitment, when in fact they are integral to the process. Recent research in Ireland shows that almost 50% of employees leave a job within a year. In a nation that is at near-full employment it is a job-seeker’s market. Getting onboarding right is important to help the candidate feel comfortable in the early days at the new firm, and to pinpoint any issues that arise in the initial period.
Step 12: Follow up
The very best executive search services includes one final step. This is follow up with the client and the candidate to review how it is going. Following up with both helps ensure satisfaction is achieved. Similarly to onboarding, it will help identify issues that might otherwise be hidden, leading to executive turnover if not addressed. Good follow up also allows the executive search firm to take on board any feedback and improve.
Conclusion
Following the 12 steps of executive search Ireland helps to ensure that the right candidate is hired. From having a clear understanding of the job role and person needed from the outset, through to onboarding and follow up, locally based executive search teams in Ireland are well-placed to help.
As a specialists executive search services firm in Ireland, we have the local knowledge that will ensure your executive search in Ireland runs smoothly. We can draw on our extensive local networks to help identify top talent for your executive team, no matter the industry. Get in touch to see how we can add value to your executive search process.
