Revive and Thrive
Simone Fenton-Jarvis BSc MBA FIWFM
Author - "The Human-Centric Workplace" | Group Director | Workplace Consultant | Multi-Award Winning | Mentor | Public Speaker | IWFM Non-Exec Director | FM Connect Ambassador | Plan B for FM
Hello,
Firstly, I hope you're doing good? - I know January has felt like a long month!
Last week I was in the garden, thinking about all the jobs I needed to do, and was daydreaming and planning my veg patch - what I would grow and where.
And then today, boom, look what happened, seemingly appearing out of absolutely nowhere...
What I took from this, is a reminder about the power of springing into action, the power of reviving and thriving. To 'spring into action' means to start doing something quickly. This is often in response to a stimulus and after spending time waiting to start.
In the ebb and flow of organisational life, there are seasons of abundance and seasons of challenge. Just as nature transitions from winter to spring and summer, workplaces also undergo cycles of dormancy, revival, and thriving.
Drawing inspiration from the concept of "wintering," where periods of rest and reflection precede growth, let's think about how workplaces can navigate these seasons (metaphorically, and very much not tied to the actual seasons!) to cultivate resilience and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
I'm going to start this with a little excerpt from my book to set the scene...
"Leaders must adapt to the world around them, the needs of their people and the organization. The world does not stand still and neither do the organizations and people that define the world we are in. Like a plant, an organization, its culture, teams and individuals are part of and make up a living system. A wilting organization that is nurtured by the right people, culture and innovations will resurrect. With further nourishment, the organization and its people will thrive. A thriving workplace that is neglected and deprived leads to wilting. Where nourishment is thwarted by toxicity, poor leadership and bureaucracy, it will lead to the death of the organization. The start, the direction of travel and the ultimate destination is not a linear process for each leader, individual, team and organization. Each will go on their own journey and through their own life cycle, and with their own challenges and remedies, which ultimately determines the travel of the organization. Sometimes, it must get worse before it can get better. When an organization and its people start to wilt, the crossroad has been reached; whether the leadership and people will nurture or be thwarted will determine the next stop for the organization. (The Human-Centric Workplace, p143-144)
Wintering: Embracing Rest and Reflection
领英推荐
Reviving: Awakening from Dormancy
Thriving: Blossoming into Summer
Nurturing Workplace Resilience Year-Round
While each season (phase of change) would bring challenges and opportunities, resilience is a year-round endeavour and requirement. Humans as a species are resilient by nature – how else would we have survived thus far?
Resilient employees are able to manage stress effectively, so it is not overwhelming and detrimental. They practice self-care to avoid burnout, and they are their true authentic self, behaving in line with their core values. (Davis-Laack, 2014, Addicted to Busy)
Workplaces are a source of stress, redundancies, deadlines, organisational change, disaster recovery, competition, politics, technology that does not work, and misaligned values and cultures. We need our people to be tenacious, to welcome challenges, to problem solve and ultimately make the most out of even the worst situations.
Top Tips to build organisation-wide resilience:
Human-centric workplaces support their people to build resilience in order to handle the stressors that life throws their way. By embracing the principles of wintering, reviving, and thriving, organisations can create a culture that sustains resilience and growth.
Do you have any experiences to share or additional top tips?
Be a good human,
SFJ.