Running away and running towards.

Finding help when we need it.

Last week felt a bit tough. I lost my mojo midweek. It happens. But what was unusual was my response.

It's like this. I try to be nice. I don't like bothering people too much. They are busy and don't need my problems as well. So I tend to keep myself to myself when I am mojo-less. And that's a problem because it can just get worse without external intervention. And, yes, that can come from me (changing my mindset, environment, and activity) or from others. But it's harder to do it for yourself when you are feeling a bit sh*t.

ONE THING my coach regularly reminds me is that if there is an issue, anything that's on my mind and getting in my way,

"Don't run away from help; run towards it. And tag, I'm it!"

So I showed up, despite thinking this was my responsibility and nothing that he could help me with. I was in charge of my mojo. It was all on me. But of course, he had some great advice, and I was soon refocused, feeling better and being productive again.

The clear and repeated message from my coach is not something that is afforded in our teams. Leaders and managers are often unavailable for support because they are busy, usually in meetings.

Employees hear the words,?Let me know if you need anything,?but their experience soon shows this isn't realistic. Leaders give other messages about how they are so busy that there is no time for you. Your work (and you) are not as important as my work. They are rarely visible around the workplace. They don't reply to queries. They miss catch-ups (if they are even scheduled) or talk about what you need to be doing for them rather than hearing what you need or are struggling with.

This means that people continue unsupported, work gets delayed or goes down a dead end, people start losing confidence, and good people leave.

So, how do you manage the demands of your workload and support your people?

The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches 
but to reveal to him his own.

Benjamin Disraeli.        

Prioritise your team

I remember a client of mine sharing - quite emotionally - that the best boss he ever worked for always made him feel that he and what he did mattered. They?never missed their scheduled catch-ups. Even if his manager was in a client meeting that looked like going over time, she would leave to meet with her team - because they are the ones getting this done.?He shared that he felt he did some of his best work in this role.?So how do you find ways to prioritise your team a little more?

• Purposeful collective meetings

Revise your team meetings regularly to see if they still meet your needs. Research what others are doing to make meetings more effective and experiment. For example, shorten the time; clarify the purpose, form and expectations?for?different types of meetings; look at what can be done before the meeting to make it more effective. Everyone knows how meetings can be a time, energy and motivation killer if they are just the way you've always done them.

• One-on-ones?that ask don't tell

Don't spend your time with your team members telling them what and how they need to do things. Make it an?opportunity?to have them work things out for themselves. Yes, coach them first so they figure it out with you. Then be a mentor and give them the benefit of your experience. Then offer solutions as a last resort. You want them to need you less and less over time because you see the quality of their thinking and work improve.

• Hang around

Be visible. Have lunch in the tearoom now and again. Get out and talk to people in their workplaces. Ask them what they are?doing. You need to incorporate informal opportunities to connect through proximity. Tricker to do with a dispersed team - but not impossible.

• Have a big red button

You need a panic button - and to encourage people to use it. If things are going pear-shaped with people, tasks or projects, how do they let you know? Create some sort of signal so you can get to them as soon as possible. Building an actual big red button is ideal, but even sending those words capitalised in an email heading or message works. Let them know you are there for them.

Manage your workload

You have a pile of stuff to do, but it's easy to get sucked into the busyness that stops you from stepping back and taking charge of it.

• Prioritise and delegate

Spending more time with your team and building their confidence and capability gives you an opportunity to delegate work that stretches them. Ask what makes sense for me to do myself and where it is possible to grow my team by working with me on something (initially) or letting them handle it and being there for support.

• Stop saying 'busy'

When you are tornado-ing through the workplace, telling people about how much is on your plate and how many meetings you have to attend, the lovely people you have hired are not going to come to you with issues. They don't want to burden you. And you want issues before they become problems - and then expensive and damaging problems. So eliminate busy. It's such a victim's word, and your buzzing around will only increase everyone's stress levels.

• Manage meeting madness

Be a bit proactive when it comes to those meetings you are invited to attend. Find out what it's about and what is required of you. I always want to know?what's the question this meeting is going to answer and what's my role in doing that. Start pushing back on the meetings that are wasting your time - in a nice way.

• Communicate time for deep work

If you are responsive to your team's needs, setting some boundaries around uninterrupted time for you to do deep work will be easier. Set aside chunks of time where you can read, research, reflect and concentrate. It's even easier if you can get your whole team to have some dedicated time for deep work. A couple of hours on a couple of days can be a good experiment for you to try.

What are the?subtle and not-so-subtle ways you are telling your people that you and your work is more important than the work you have asked them to do?

And how can you create an environment where your teams run towards you to keep things moving, ensure quality work and build their confidence and autonomy?