First off, I want to give a big ‘Congratulations’ to those in leadership roles currently in every industry. The game has changed dramatically, and I don’t think it’s ever going back to the way it was.
In a lot of topics, there is so much conversation around leadership versus management. Most of you have heard about it, maybe some haven’t. Management is directing people what to do. It’s more authoritative. You’re not really breeding a culture of growth, and development. Management is a style where there never will be a well oiled machine to take place. You leave for a day, and things might go to hell.
Leadership is much different. Leadership inspires. It promotes a sense of empowerment. You as the leader can share where the roadblocks might be ahead. You can share your past decisions that lead to failure in challenging circumstances to better equip them on what to avoid. It guides individuals to seek out solutions. These solutions at times are much better than a solution the leader them self would have come up with. Trust me, I’ve been there! It was eye opening when it happened, and that was about the time I transformed into a leader from a manager.
Leaders are not afraid to give the spotlight to others, which allows their team to shine. It’s really a beautiful thing when they shine, and they see what they’re able to accomplish. Additionally, leaders can step away and have work life integration while teaching their leaders to step away and also have work life integration. This is possible, because they teach their teams to problem solve and encourage a sense of empowerment. This creates future leaders.
We have a new leadership style emerging, and it’s extremely important in this day and age to be aware of it. Some are making the transition, and others are falling behind trying to figure out what in the world is going on. They’re getting inundated with turnover, external industry challenges are impacting work flow, as well as the customer base. This is leaving leaders demonstrating conventional (general) leadership today scratching their heads. They might be keeping some engaged, but it’s not enough. The managers out there using ‘management style’ are experiencing this without the ‘engaged team’ aspect. They’re just all together losing talent, and probably leaving industries in frustration as well. Why is this happening?
Over the past year, and a half we (humans) have endured major changes and disruption to our daily routines. The pandemic changed everything. However, as time moves forward, we are seeing the ramifications in a different aspect- mentally. Every single person on this planet was impacted in some degree. Some more than others. I was fortunate enough where I never lost my job, but I still suffered challenges that I rarely talked about. I’m sure this is the case with many out there. I’m a person that never suffered from depression, ever.
Last year was the first time I felt it. It was probably one of the most intense things I’ve encountered mentally, and I’m that much more empathetic to it because of it. It was a dark place for me, and for many others. There are days where I’m great, but I have days where I tend to take a few steps back. The positive that came out of this? I was very well aware of what routines were amplifying it, and what I needed to change. As I talk with others across many different industries, I’m learning that majority of us are in that same boat. The following link shows some statistics of how anxiety/depression has increased in almost every category/demographic from last year to February 2021.
As a leader today, you must be able to slow down and connect differently. Observe reactions, mood, and other behaviors. It’s not just about learning Suzie’s favorite animal, writing her a ‘Thank You’ card, and asking how her vacation was. It’s about slowing down and asking how she’s handling her mental health. How has she been feeling? Anything work related that I can help fix? Anything outside of work that I can help support? You’re having a bad week? No problem, I’ll work on giving you an extra day or two off this month to help decompress- not an option, I’m giving it. Sometimes people will not open up no matter what. Don’t take it personally. Being an active listener is also key. Just sit quiet, and listen. Sometimes we just need someone to talk too. Sometimes we just need to share how we are feeling. This ties into performance. It’s OK to have bad days, or even a bad week. When we aren’t in our best mind frame, how can we deliver stellar results? Work on making more obtainable goals for a short period of time in order to keep their engagement stronger, where they leave feeling accomplished.
Intuitive leadership will challenge you to think a few steps ahead of how a scenario or situation will impact someone, or what impact it will have with someone experiencing some mental hardship. As I stated above, industries everywhere are facing challenges with staffing, and those outside circumstances that are impacting day to day operations. If you’re seeing a very challenging scenario approaching, you’ll need to prepare your leader/team and have more of those engagement related conversations- again, setting smaller achievable goals and potentially shifting some things around in order to create a less stressful day.
Team meetings should evolve, and looking different. Direct ‘business as usual’ dialogue is not going to work. Team building, open discussion about things outside of numbers/data will build a team that’s more vulnerable and able to open up. You knowing the mental health of your team will help them, and the business in the long run. It will give you insight on where you need to course correct immediately, which will allow you to retain talent during a very volatile time.
Lastly, this also leads into the development of your team and teaching them to be intuitive leaders. Developing this skill set in others is challenging, considering the approach is so new and takes time. Lets face it, our teams are on the ‘go’ all the time. Slowing down to really dig further into someones mental wellness might not be on top of the list when the day feels overwhelming. I’ll be sure to have a post pertaining to this, and how myself and other leaders from industries are building their teams up to handle these more complex styles and situations. We are in this together.