WagWay CEO Jeff Halverson shares a perspective many pet care leaders overlook: the importance of pausing after the holiday rush.
Instead of jumping straight into the next task, taking time to reflect with your team can surface insights, strengthen culture, and set the tone for a smoother season ahead.
A simple post-holiday debrief can help teams reset, communicate openly, and identify the small adjustments that make a big difference next year.
Explore the approach in our latest article:
“The Power of Pause: Post-Holiday Debriefs That Work.”
1️⃣ Let Your Team Breathe First
Before any debrief, I try to give space for the team to decompress. People need a moment — sometimes just a lighter afternoon — to reset from the emotional and physical intensity of the season.
You can’t have a productive conversation when everyone is still in “go-mode.”
A short pause creates the clarity that reflection needs.
2️⃣ Debrief With Curiosity, Not Critique
When it’s time to gather the team, I focus on a simple mindset: curiosity over criticism.
I use questions like:
- What helped us this season?
- What felt harder than expected?
- Where did communication flow well — and where did it break down?
- What one thing would make next year’s holiday season smoother?
These questions aren’t about evaluating individual performance.
They’re about understanding the experience — together.
A debrief is most powerful when the team feels safe enough to be honest. That emotional safety is a leadership responsibility, not an accident.
3️⃣ Pull Out the Small, Actionable Improvements
I’ve rarely seen major overhauls come out of a debrief — and honestly, they’re not usually needed. What works are small, targeted improvements that compound over time.
At PUPS, it might be adding training for new dogs entering the playgroup flow.
At Pawville, it could be tightening shift overlaps or improving intake communication.
Here’s my rule of thumb:
Choose one immediate fix, one operational adjustment, and one improvement to test next season.
It keeps the team from feeling overwhelmed and makes progress tangible.
4️⃣ Close With Genuine Appreciation
The holidays take grit. They take heart. Teams give up personal time, family time, energy, and emotional bandwidth.
I always end a debrief by acknowledging that effort directly — not as a speech, but as an honest recognition of what the team carried.
A sincere “thank you” is one of the most effective cultural tools we have.
It influences how people remember the season — and whether they return to it with resentment or pride.
Final Reflection
A post-holiday debrief isn’t a meeting.
It’s a leadership practice.
It strengthens culture.
It clarifies learning.
It builds trust.
And it makes next season unmistakably better than the last.
We can’t control the chaos of the holidays — but we can control how we respond to it.
That response begins with the pause.
— Jeff Halverson
CEO
