Article published on Thursday 22th January in the 24h and Friday 23th in the Tribune de Genève.
As I write this column for the third week of January, I couldn’t help thinking about “Blue Monday”, the popular expression referring to the third Monday of January, often described as the most depressing day of the year.
Although not scientifically validated, it is easy to see how a combination of negative factors – cold weather, post-holiday financial strain or simply the pressure of a fresh start (sales directors will recognise the feeling) – can dampen morale in January.
So, what does this mean? What role does leadership play in business, particularly during the return to work after the holidays? In this context, the leader’s task is neither to dramatise nor to downplay difficulties, but to serve as a stabilising presence, providing support, clarity, energy, leadership by example, psychological safety and confidence in the future.
Let’s be clear. We enter this “Blue Monday” week in a year likely to be marked once again by sluggish growth, conflicts and tragic events, such as those that shook our country over the holiday period. A year characterised by an exceptionally resilient Swiss franc relative to foreign currencies and by customs tariffs that could hinder exporting companies.
We therefore cannot expect smooth sailing. We must move forward with determination, adjusting our course and seizing opportunities to overcome obstacles. Leadership is the ability to enable ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things, even in difficult times. It is the capacity to turn paradigm shifts and constraints into opportunities, while guiding teams with consistency and confidence.
In a Blue Monday context, leaders yield neither to pessimism nor to artificial enthusiasm. They acknowledge constraints without amplifying them, move forward without denying difficulties and build genuine, lasting trust.
Blue Monday ultimately reminds us that our energy, attitude and leadership can influence the course of events. It is easy to fall back on excuses. Blue Monday is a fairly obvious one. Drawing on our energy, ideas and solutions remains essential to success even on the greyest of days.
