”In the next 3 minutes you will find out:
– Why a team leader is like an orchestra conductor.
– How did the leaders feel the pressure of the changes that came with the pandemic and why they have to take care of themselves in the first place.
The mental health implications of the pandemic, of the political, economic uncertainty, social isolation, working from home, online school, unstable financial situation, all these (besides everything that means leading a team, a business) are serious worries of leaders at all levels and in all countries.
Large companies openly address the issue of ‘mental health’, and leaders are invited to speak on the subject, express their concerns, and create plans to support their employees.
Well-being was also talked about before the pandemic in various organizations. But, many times, this concept was associated with gym subscriptions, fruits at the office, subscriptions to medical centers.
The last year and a half have shown that isolation, loneliness, work from home, in apartments where a family with one or more children is not enough space, all this has brought alienation, fatigue, increased sensitivity, depression, loss of meaning, feeling alone in the world, in a foggy tunnel, without seeing any light around.
The pressure has been and is great on everyone, including leaders. Team members wait for a leader to see beyond the fog, to find the resources to support themselves, to support others, and to turn on lights at the end of the tunnel. Easy to say, but hard to do! Because leaders are also people, with their own needs.
Stories that inspire you, that will move you and that, at the same time, will help you stay emotionally and physically healthy.
Here are some ideas that may help:
Building a culture of performance, but with care for people
The human resources department certainly knows what it could do to take care of people’s mental health, their well-being. From courses, webinars, applications that are a kind of ‘portable coach’ for people (Thrive application is this kind of on-the-go coach ), to counseling, mentoring, coaching, monthly meetings, books, surprises to show people that they matter to their managers, to the organization.
In addition, it helps to set clear, medium- and long-term goals, so that everyone knows what and why they are building something, which is the desired result, to have a sense of contribution. It also comes with the manager’s trust in each individual, eliminating the need for some to control what each person does all the time.
Leaders can be an example themselves
If the leader wants people to work efficiently, to take care of them, then it is good for him to set the tone. The leader can be like an orchestra conductor: if he conducts angrily, then everyone else will behave angrily; if he is relaxed, then the others will, for the most part, behave similarly. A toxic leader will sow toxicity, the feeling that you are never good enough will divide the team, some people will take over their behavior.
Someone told me recently that his manager was texting him at night and waiting for a quick response. We don’t even want to imagine the stress of a man who knows that if he doesn’t respond at three in the morning, he will suffer the wrath of an unrealistic man so that we can express ourselves delicately.
It is important for the leader to be an example in terms of well-being, balance, concordance between what they say and what they do. If they want people to go on holidays, then they must respects their holidays too. If they want people to connect with each other, they must periodically talk to them, ask them questions, and listen to them, without judging. Most of the time, people need someone to listen to them, not to give them solutions.
In general, leaders have good intentions: they want to have results, to have a satisfied, united team, which would feel good. But the path from intention to impact on others goes through behavior, personality, character. The way a leader reacts and acts in times like the one we have been going through for a year and a half tells about his own abilities and has a big imprint on the well-being, mental health, and motivation of others. This means that the leader has the responsibility to take care of himself, his own behavior, to put on his first oxygen mask, so as to care for others.”
via: Thrive Global
