What High Performers Do on Monday That Others Learn Too Late!

Unlock the early Monday actions that separate leaders from others.

Author

Glenda Carnate
November 24, 2025

Read time: 2.5 minutes

Most people don’t realize how quickly a week can be won or lost, but high performers do.

A COO once told me she could predict her team’s entire week by 10:15 a.m., every Monday. But it wasn’t about dashboards. She noticed whether her leaders walked in with a clear standard or an early excuse. Those who started the day explaining why the week would be messy usually spent the rest of it managing problems they created by drifting.

The leaders who showed up with clear priorities and one meaningful problem to solve handled the week differently. They didn’t work harder; they worked with purpose. Their days were balanced, focused, and less chaotic than others, because successful leaders  honored their standards before the week could test them.

5 Key Monday Decisions High Performers Make Early:

1. Establish Your Non-Negotiable Standard.

  • Define the one standard you will not compromise this week, even under pressure.

  • Ask: “Which boundary most protects my effectiveness?”

  • Enforce this standard. Avoid fear-based decisions, unnecessary commitments, or lowering expectations.

2. Focus on the High-Impact Problem, Not Routine Tasks.

  • Find out the problem that, once solved, will resolve several others automatically.

  • Make this issue the central focus of your week.

  • Prioritize this above all other tasks.

3. Address the Conversation You Have Been Avoiding.

  • Find the individual who needs honest feedback from you, whether it is a supervisor, direct report, customer, or yourself.

  • Address the conversation early; avoidance can undermine your week.

  • Providing respectful clarity builds more trust than remaining politely silent.

4. Leverage Overlooked Assets.

  • Every team has an underutilized asset, such as a dataset, channel, relationship, or capability.

  • Consider: “What resources do we already have that we have not fully utilized?”

  • Take one decisive action to leverage this asset this week.

5. Require Measurable Progress by Thursday, Not Just Promises for Friday.

  • Ensure every strategy demonstrates tangible progress by Thursday.

  • Identify the one measurable outcome that must be achieved before the weekend.

  • Treat momentum as a measurable outcome, not a feeling.

💡Key Takeaway: 

You cannot create a high-performing week by relying on habits designed for survival rather than growth. Successful leaders are not necessarily faster; they are simply more disciplined with themselves.

👉 LIKE if this shifted how you think about your Mondays—you’ll get more insights that keep your momentum sharp.

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