Returning to the ‘new normal’
How do positive leaders show their colleagues the support they need?
As more and more of the nation start to physically return to work or virtually following lockdown and Furlough in different sectors, it is natural that a growing number of managers and leaders are considering how to best look after their staff.
Being mindful of how we look after one another one as we move through the next phase of this pandemic will be the difference between sustainable recovery and fast burnout. Thankfully the latest applied research into wellbeing, resilience and positive leadership show us what the most effective ways to best ‘look after each other’ are – so we don’t need to guess at this.
As a psychologist and positive leadership consultant I hope it’s useful to share a collection of evidence-based strategies, from latest research and practice - not intended as a one size fits all solution, as every context is different – but to shine a light on some opportunities.
Some things I feel it is important to flag from the outset:
· There will be for many a sense of a collective Trauma. And how people experience this will have been/ and will be – different for everybody – acute (one off), chronic (continuous), complex (a series of ongoing traumatic experiences), are all different types of traumas, and this can lead to different types of reactions – Stress/ Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)/ Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD)/ or little or no reactions at all.
· YOU do NOT need to understand trauma to support people who have experienced it as a manager or leader: leave that to the psychologists. Helping people recover from trauma regardless of its type is about creating SAFETY. All workplaces should be thinking, is there anything we can do to make our workplaces safer? Many people will naturally adapt to the ‘new normal’ at work by feeling safe or as safe as possible.
· This experience of COVID-19 and living in lockdown will have been different for everybody. No two experiences will have been the same – we can guarantee that.
The Good news: Some of the things we know that build wellbeing and resilience are the same for everybody: Positive leadership practices. Some of the things we can do as a manager and leader for all of our people’s wellbeing and increased resilience (regardless of experience) are:
To demonstrate compassion and self-compassion: allowing differences, mistakes, and showing your own vulnerability to the realities of the situation;
Creating space for mindfulness – and no I don’t mean the ‘cookie cutter’ type, there are an abundance of different ways to do this: allowing for focused reflection time, giving people time to think on their own, playing calming music, getting people to write their thoughts and feelings down. Taking time to notice and savour what’s in the working environment etc.
Quality interactions – building good relationships, checking in with people, and by this I mean REALLY asking them how they are feeling specifically e.g. not just “how are you?” but “On a scale of 1-10 how are you feeling and why?” this helps the inquiry on both sides, being kind, offering support, showing gratitude, and recognising successes – even on a small scale.
Positively some of the things we want to do as we move to the next phase of the pandemic, will be the things we wanted to do more of in our work culture prior to lockdown and COVID-19. The silver lining is the opportunity to be brave with wellbeing and resilience and positive leadership practices – so I would say experiment and enjoy this process of putting things in place to support wellbeing. Please do get in touch if you would like to hear more about the work we are doing with different teams and organisations to support this.