As many businesses find new ways to navigate the year ahead the key priorities tend to be:
- keeping their workforce in place,
- identifying future challenges,
- pivoting where necessary,
- and re-envisioning the business.
Whether you are looking at your senior management team, the C suite directors, the managers, the general employees even down to the office cleaner what is apparent is people are struggling with burn out and mental health issues. No one could have ever estimated the impact on any business or their workforce and the impact on everyone will be ultimately different.
So, as you revisit your business model and consider ways to support the core team and the overall workforce here are a few ideas to consider.
Brain Engagement
Whilst people have adapted quickly to the use of technology and instead of travelling to meetings using Zoom or Teams many literally go from one zoom to another with no built-in break-times or rest times or disconnect. Being able to instil regular breaks to get up, walk away from the home or office desk and do something else will be so much more rewarding and the emphasis means the brain can have a break too. Added consideration should be given to creative activities that would be more inspiring for the team to enjoy rather than a usual team happy hour. Run a survey, find their likes and dislikes, consider using virtual reality to take them to a new location in the world, or a tour of a gallery or museum, or interactive games of some description.
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart”.
Steve Jobs
Practice Mindfulness
A powerful yet simple tool is to practice mindfulness. With more mindful living practices, we can find more joy, happiness, success and meaning in our lives. Whilst many see it as potentially easy, the reality is it is a habit that takes time to develop. Here are a few added examples where you can practice it throughout your day.
- A morning moment – rather than jumping out of bed, racing to the bathroom, and filling your brain with your schedule for the day ahead and your to do list, take a few moments when you wake up to be present with your physical body. Being in the present moment and allowing yourself to fully connect with it from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. Practice gratitude and thankfulness for the day whether you write it down, speak it out loud or in your head. If meditation is a tool, you like then of course you can use it too. Another option is to concentrate on your breather and/or to meditate.
- Spent time outside – you can achieve mindfulness by also spending some time outdoors. It is important we get out of our boxes, be it an office, a home or elsewhere. Being able to lean into mother nature and feel the expansive of the planet will always keep you in touch with the present moment and nature itself. Consider a quick walk as often as you can each day. Pay attention to your senses, what you see, feel, hear, and smell.
- One task only – multi-tasking really does not work. In essence you are desperately trying to do several things at once and ultimately you will find none of them get completed to the best of your ability simply because of the focus and attention to detail. Take one task at a time and put your focus on the task at hand. When you are done, take a short break and then tackle the next task. It is a much more relaxed, methodical, and mindful way to get things done, and it will likely improve your performance too.
- Feel – In being mindful, you don’t want to avoid your feelings. Part of it is simply acknowledging what is – is, and to be in the present moment. There will be occasions, that might include feelings of joy, but you don’t want to try to force happy thoughts or resist any emotional response. Sometimes, you just need to accept unpleasant emotions as a part of the moment. Accept disappointment, sadness, anger, jealousy, etc. as what they are and allow yourself to feel them. You, of course, want to be mindful of how you react to the feelings, but it is healthy to acknowledge them for what they are.
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it”.
Maya Angelou
Set short term goals
By giving your employees realistic and achievable goals to focus on and reach you equally open the door to consider added celebrations each time the goals are met. These added moments of celebration will help inspire the workforce. Being kind, compassionate and caring with your workforce will go a long way in gaining their trust, respect, and dedication over the years. Look at how you can break the annual goals down into snippets.
Restate your company vision
Depending on whether you pivot the business into a new concept, idea, platform etc. it is extremely important to clarify to your employees the vison of where the business is heading too. Recognising that each member plays a significant role in the process will work to your benefit as you all work together toward a great purpose and new vision for success.
If you are facing various leaderships issues – then book in a Genius Zone Consult to discover what your current challenges are and explore how I can support you in solving those challenges.
Lastly, whether you choose one or all four come back and let us know how you get on. Above all be kind and compassionate with your team and yourself.
