Sharing What We Need to Succeed
This week I am sharing insights and strategies for managing stress and preventing burnout. We typically associate burnout with work fatigue but in a crisis like the one(s) we are facing today, many different sources of stress compound to put us at greater risk.
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Monday we explored stress and the brain and Tuesday we put our emotions in perspective. Today we'll talk about how to talk about these challenges as a team.
Let's be honest: This isn't easy. For many of us, these kinds of conversations fall outside of our comfort zones. We're comfortable talking strategy, not struggle. We are fluent in numbers, not needs. And being vulnerable can feel downright scary.
So we need to keep it simple.
- Acknowledge the current situation. If it helps, share these posts with your team in an email and use the questions below to host a discussion in your next team meeting.
- If you are hosting the conversation, share your own authentic experience first to make it comfortable for others to do the same.
- Listen openly and without judgment... or fixing. You also don't need to rush to solve problems or address people's challenges in this first conversation. When we create a bit of space for understanding and connection, that can be healing in itself.
- Encourage team members to ask for help or support at any time. Create a code word if you like; at BCW we use the language of "the line." We all know what it's like to be below-the-line (which can manifest as anxiety, overwhelm or disengagement) and we can show up for one another in those moments.
- Find flexible solutions when people do reach out. Be ready to help colleagues manage priorities, redistribute work, rotate roles and projects, etc. Look for efficiencies that allow the whole team to work smarter, not harder. We'll talk more about this on Friday.
Practices: Team Conversations
For Myself: When you're feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to consider, "What do I need right now?" so you know what kind of help to ask for. And when you're feeling energized and engaged, ask yourself, "Who can I help today?"
With My Team: Start meetings with a check-in question ("What's your emotional weather forecast today?" "What is motivating you today? What is worrying you today?") that allows people to reflect and share some aspect of their experience.
In hosting a conversation about stress and its impact, these questions may be helpful:
- What is the biggest challenge you're facing right now? Do you have what you need to take it on?
- What questions or concerns can we put on the table and talk through together?
- What have we done well as a team over the past few months? What do we want to do differently as a team for the rest of the year?
- On a scale of 1-10 (1=calm and 10=catastrophe), where is your stress level today? What is one thing we can do to move that number down?
- (After the team shares) How does it feel to hear from one another?
Tomorrow: Leader Insights - Leading Our Teams by Example & with Eyes Wide Open