Hands up… who is tired or a bit deflated right now?
Many of our clients are telling us that the ongoing uncertainty we are all living in, the changing work environment and heavy workload over the past two years is taking its toll. Leading people and driving business survival/success at this time can be exhausting. Humans are wired to cope with peaks of pressure very well, but don’t fare so well over extended periods of time.
So, what can you do?
Firstly, you need to look after yourself.
As a leader, you probably feel like you have no choice and must get on with it. That’s what good leaders do, right? But the reality is that you will not be able to support your team if you are fatigued and not in the right headspace.
Taking care of yourself may feel like the last thing you have time to do. But it is important to ensure that your business is tracking in the right direction and your team has the leader they need. You might set parameters around when/how often you check your emails, shorten meeting times by setting a clear agenda, delegate some responsibilities or empower your team to make some decisions. Focus on what you can control.
Once you are rejuvenated, share your story with the team – set the tone, lead the way. If the team see you making effective changes, they will feel that they too can take ownership of their own situation rather than feeling helpless.
Then, it’s time to take further action.
- Sit down with your team to talk about where they are at, their pain/pressure points and figure out some sensible solutions together.
- Assess if your methods of reward and recognition are effective. Do your team feel that their contribution is valued? Do you celebrate successes? Do you genuinely thank people regularly? Ask for feedback on what could be better. Trial some new approaches.
- Regularly check in on progress – quick pulse surveys can be good to see if any changes you have made are hitting the mark.
- Longer term, you might want to think about building resilience within your business by developing leadership capability around how to manage and deal with pressure, arming your people with helpful tools and techniques.
If you have had enough of the fatigue and you are ready to do something about it, talk with your Positive People consultant for ideas and recommendations. We are here to help.