Exhausted and its only January
5 strategies to lead with resilience and compassion
Resilience
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls, the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
Kahlil Gibran
The pressures of last year have taken their toll on all of us. Sadly things have begun for many with physical and mental exhaustion and grief from the loss of loved ones, friends and colleagues as well as the pressure to remain strong and resilient for the people we lead and support. All of this compounded by insufficient quality holiday time to fully decompress and switch off.
My own transition into the new year has not been without its emotional choppiness – my self-description for what has felt like a bumpy ride on an
I have listened to clients over the past 2 weeks since I returned from holiday and here are a few of the most consistent needs:
· How do I maintain energy and keep my team focused is the face of the volume and pressure?
· How do I deal with my own emotions so I can support others?
· How do I step back, empower and support my team but not overload them?
Today, I thought I would share some of the practical things that leaders I coach are finding useful:
1) A safe space to share how they are truly feeling without worrying about how others will view them for allowing for their strong emotions
2) A deliberate strategy to manage their mindset and energy - from pushing back and saying no, rigorous calendar management, boundaries between work and personal time
3) A regular rhythm and cadence with their direct reports that help them create structure and focus amidst uncertainty, let go of over responsibility and enable their teams to feel supported.
Compassionate leaders often do not realise they are taking strain till they have a safe space to connect with their emotions and share how they truly feel because they often focus on supporting others. In the face of uncertainty, knocked hopes, pandemic exhaustion, finding ways to take care of one’s mindset energy and emotions is key. Knowing the pressure and stress that many of their team members are facing can have leaders feeling guilty about delegating too much. Finding ways to direct and support but not ‘do it myself’ is proving useful.
There is a lot of the information posted online and it can be hard to cut through the noise and discern what will be most powerful for your unique circumstances.
Here are 5 strategies for you to think about incorporating into your plan for the year ahead:
Get your own support team in place: Finding a safe and confidential space to share your emotions, concerns, worries with a trusted advisor or coach or a partner or friend so you can focus and lead your teams with compassion and direction.
Mind your mindset – being able to step back and reframe a situation in context with a longer term perspective is key to not being at the mercy of your emotional reaction to events you cannot control. When we work on our mindset, it is so much easier to show up with confidence than when we try to change behaviour without understanding the beliefs and mindset that keeps driving old habits and behaviours.
Build a regular rhythm and cadence with your direct reports to ensure alignment to strategy and build connectivity and support.
Find micro practices that re-energise you throughout the day: for me it is recharging my energy through the day with pictures of my holiday and feeling the good feelings of rest and energy I experienced; for others it may be sitting with a cup of tea in the garden doing breathing exercises; for others it may be a run or walk in the forest; for others it may be learning something new.
Sleep: much has been written about the power of sleep in managing stress and one of the challenges is it may sound a bit like a chicken and egg situation – with more stress you are likely to sleep less as you struggle to switch-off, leading to a vicious rather than virtuous cycle. See this article from some tips on how to deal with it for those of you who would benefit from improved sleep https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/your_sleep_tonight_changes_how_you_react_to_stress_tomorrow
What are your strategies to keep the right mindset and confidence to weather the storms of uncertainty and keep a focus on what matters most?
Connect with me if you would like to discuss a tailored-to-you leadership coaching programme that will enable you to lead with focus, resilience and compassion.