Summer is often a great time to catch up on reading, research, and the list of items you want to address in the fall and through the calendar year. Our lives are often very complex these days; many of us wear multiple hats, and our administrative support is more often a device rather than a person. As a result, it requires discipline and a process to make sure those to do items get done. What follows are some thoughts to help business leaders and managers prepare for the fall.

Check Your 2012 List
While I carry an iPhone and MacBook nearly everywhere I go, I also carry a notebook and use a checkbox system to track my to do action items. Regardless of your system, go back through your list, see what may have been missed, and create an updated list from it.

Review Your Back-up Plans
While IT back-up plans are integral today, I am talking about a different back up, as in 'who's got your back?' In our state, which is dominated by small businesses, make sure your team is cross-trained - from resetting the wireless router to making bank deposit.

Plan to Hire an Intern this Fall
Internships can be terrific experiences for both the employee and employer if they are well designed. They provide someone looking at future career opportunities with real world experiences and can, in many cases, provide you with a trained employee down the road. Don't let a sub-par internship experience stop you from trying again - everyone wins when the experience is positive.

Engage with Your Employees
Good internal communications practices are essential to running a successful operation. Use the summer to do something fun with your staff. Create opportunities for two-way communication and group interaction. Take them out to lunch or off-site after work and recognize jobs well done.

Take a Break
This particular item can be very challenging for those in small business who like to be constantly connected. If you find it extremely hard to shut down, go somewhere off the beaten path where there are no signals or distractions. Studies continually show that those who take their vacation time are much more productive when they return. Yet, according to a 2010 survey, 43% of employees do not take the time they earn. So pack a bag.

Review the Multiple Hats You Might Wear
In our complex lives, we often have professional and volunteer responsibilities with numerous organizations, and may be pondering additional activities, such as board appointments or consulting jobs. Make sure you are not over-committing or saying yes because you were asked. Such decisions need to be made both strategically and personally. Summer is also a good time to review current activities and see if they still fit with your goals. If not, plan to make adjustments in the fall.

Re-read "Good to Great," by Jim Collins
This timeless book always provokes good thinking about the team you have (the right people on the bus) and your business model (getting that flywheel spinning). Dust it off and put it on your nightstand.

Review Recent "Ask the Expert" Columns
Recent columns by several business colleagues are worth another read. Check out Ryan Barton talking about efficiencies gained through technology, Mark Galvin noting the need to have an ecosystem that encourages start-ups, Bob Good discussing the needs for a solid sales pipeline, and Jason Alexander highlighting the essential need to be an effective networker. The issues raised in these and other "Ask the Expert" columns are important to review as part of your summer checklist.

I am pleased to partake in the "Ask-the-Expert" series and look forward to answering your questions and/or responding to your comments about this or related topics.

About Matt Cookson
Matt Cookson wears multiple hats. He serves as the executive director of the NH High Technology Council and as president of his strategic public relations firm in Manchester, Cookson Stephens Corporation. He has worked in strategic communications capacities in technology, higher education and government for the past 25 years. He is a 2003 Leadership New Hampshire Associate and in 2009, was named as one of the "25 Leaders of the Future" by Business NH Magazine.