It’s the final day of school holidays! “Yippee” I hear some of you whisper and yell!

I really enjoy not having crazy mornings and afternoons in my role of parent chef chauffeur. Conversely, I’m secretly rejoicing the fact that my routine is being reinstated in a couple of days!

Routine, rituals and structure keep the wheels churning in our home and my office. From birth, the kids fitted into the routine and to this day they know that 7pm is wind down time and into the bedroom! Whereas, school holidays all the routine & structures collapse!

In the office (and home), structure builds the fulfilment of expectations, routine creates the climate – the way people feel and rituals embed the culture. It’s a great equation and it’s all too evident when one or more parts are missing.

During a recent leadership workshop, I asked the group “what happens on a Friday?” What are the rituals? Everyone’s face changed shape! There was a buzz; talk of Quiz sessions, YouTube sharing, community lunches and a list of fun activities which brought their teams together, deleted the hierarchy and created harmony in the office.

There is a definite need to regularly ‘stir and shake’ the routine of the workspace however leaders must be mindful - aware of peoples’ reactions – so do what you need to do to prepare the team. If it’s a structure shift then this is more dynamic.

A team activity is advantageous to identify these three equation components: routine, ritual & structure. Being aware by observing others is vital for a leader to gain an understanding of how people behave in our times of constant change.