What's Your Team's Summer OpTempo?
Insights from our May 7, 2025 Leadership Strategy Session
Optempo is a military term, short for operations tempo. It's the cadence / speed at which operations move, and it can and does change based on a number of factors, like team readiness, leadership, culture, seasonality, demand, and so on.
Thank you to everyone who joined our May Leadership Strategy Session. As we approach the summer months, our focus was on how leaders can prepare themselves and their teams for the natural shift in work rhythm that occurs during this season.
This month's session was rich with practical discussions around anticipating seasonal changes in organizational tempo, allocating time effectively across teams, and preparing for transitions. Here are some of the key insights we explored:
Recognizing Optempo Cycles. Understanding the natural ebb and flow of your organization's year and how summer typically affects workflow, team capacity, and project timelines.
Planning Ahead for Seasonal Shifts. Strategies for aligning expectations and objectives with the reality of summer schedules, vacations, and energy levels.
The Efficiency/Affinity Curve. How to address the varying needs for time across team members based on their experience, skills, and roles without creating tension.
Managing Teams Through Transitions. Thoughtful approaches to supporting teams that are undergoing significant changes, including how to maintain capacity and focus during emotional periods.
Smart-Sourcing vs. Outsourcing. When and how to delegate tasks based on energy and aptitude rather than just availability, especially for entrepreneurs and small teams.
Paid subscribers can find a brief clip on preparing for summer's operational tempo below. 👇🏽
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