Who Killed the Month of August

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“Alina, August is a dead month.”

That’s how Alex, a 32-year-old middle manager I coach, opened our session. He wasn’t being dramatic. Just disappointed and worried. He had taken his holiday in May for personal reasons, returned fully charged, and then faced July and August with a partial, less aligned team. Through the last 2 months, he had, on a good day, sixty per cent of his team available. Trainings he’d planned were stalled. Key approvals lived in inboxes with “Out of Office” replies.

He felt like a lion in a cage: energy roaring, bars locked. And the dread was real: when September arrives, his boss will demand acceleration while his people will need guidance and support. “I’ll be crushed between the top and the floor,” he said.

I get that place. It’s what many skilled professionals discover when they grow into management: your readiness is not the same as organisational capacity. Leadership begins where your plan meets the actual weather.

The moment we stop arguing with reality

I asked Alex a simple question: “What if August isn’t failing you? What if you’re measuring it against the wrong yardstick?”

Silence. Then a fugitive smile. The first aha. He had been treating August as if it were April: full capacity, full calendars, full steam. But August has its own physics. Once he named that, the fight softened. He didn’t give up on outcomes; he gave up on the illusion that outcomes come only one way.

Leading for the reality, not the ideal

When you lead for the month you’re in, not the month you wish you had, strategy starts breathing again. For Alex, that meant accepting the true constraints - rotating absences, slower response times, thinner meeting rosters - and designing progress around them. He stopped waiting for everyone to return and started asking, “With the 60% I do have, what can we move that will still matter in September?” That single question turns August from dead to deliberate. And his sense of being in control got re-established.

Precision over volume

Alex’s next shift was from more to exact. He trimmed the to-do list to what would genuinely move the scoreboard before quarter-end. He agreed with the remaining team on one outcome per project that must advance, and he protected the time, people, and decisions that would get it over that line. The feeling changed from scattered effort to focused intent. Less work, more progress. Another aha: you don’t need full capacity to create meaningful momentum, you need just ruthless clarity.

Foundations that compound later

Training sessions were on hold. But learning could continue. He used the quiet time to build the basics: clearer process notes, smooth handovers, decision logs, and short refreshers for the people who were at work. He stopped thinking training means everyone in the same room, at all times. Instead, he created simple guides and checklists so colleagues who were away could catch up quickly when they returned. In September, teams move faster if August leaves these guides available.

Relationship first, then speed

With fewer people around, Alex used the quiet to go deeper one-to-one. Not long, not heavy, just present. He asked what would most help each person re-enter fast in September and removed small frictions on the spot. Trust is a force multiplier; when the lights come back on, that trust converts directly into speed. You can’t always grow headcount, but you can always grow relational bandwidth.

Capacity is a living thing

Finally, Alex stopped treating capacity like train tracks and started treating it like wind. It shifts. It gusts. It pauses. Sailors adjust the sails; managers adjust the plan, the pacing, and the expectations. And this is how they stay in motion. Once he embraced that, the caged lion felt a relief. He wasn’t trapped; he was navigating.

Five practices Alex now owns consciously and assertively

He leads for reality, naming the month he’s in and designing accordingly. He prioritises with precision, choosing fewer targets and protecting them fiercely. He invests in foundations that compound documentation, handoffs, and just-in-time skill refreshers. He strengthens individual relationships so the team can re-enter fast and aligned. And he treats capacity as dynamic, adjusting course without drama while keeping direction steady. These are now daily choices he makes on purpose.

So… who killed August?

Not the holidays. Not the out-of-office replies. We kill August when we pretend it’s 100% capacity and then judge it for not behaving. Wise leaders plan July and August with eyes open: different cadence, different rules, same ambition. When you work with the season instead of against it, August stops being a cage and becomes an investment: quiet, intentional, compounding.

We worked on all these over 2 sessions, and after each, he left our discussions lighter and sharper. September will still demand speed, and his people will still need support. But he won’t be crushed between the two, because he’s already building the bridge from here to there. That’s the work of management: not shouting at the weather, but learning how to sail.

Did this land? Tell me your August approach to objectives so your team wins in September. Reply or drop a comment: I read every note. For a quick sparring session, reply “AUGUST” and I’ll follow up to set an informal chat.

I look forward to continuing this conversation. I am here to support you in creating sustainable performance and genuine wellbeing.

Until next time, keep thriving!

Alina Florea

Your Management Performance Coach 

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