Are we actually scared of real change?
Petra Velzeboer
Global Keynote and TEDx Speaker | Author Begin with You | Board Advisor | CEO of PVL Learning & Development | Psychotherapist MSc | Mental Health Consultant | Executive Coach
There’s been a huge investment to get Mental Health Champions recruited, trained up and involved in your wellbeing plans. They are passionate, they have deep personal stories connected to their own mental health or people close to them.?
They desperately want to find purpose in their pain and they want to make a difference where they work.
They haven’t left, they haven’t said f**k it, this place won’t do. They’ve stayed, committed and want to genuinely create change! What a perfect combination of fire in your workplace. ??
But leaders and HR get nervous. Yikes, what if they’re ‘too’ passionate.
What if they talk about inappropriate things at work. What if their personal stories cloud their judgement. What if the network sparks a life of its own and we lose control, we’ll have to answer to our SLT and explain why there’s so much fire — quick, put it out, make it small...a small controllable candle!
We’re actually scared of real change.
We can’t have people fully being themselves. We want to let them have some catch- ups and have a lanyard. We want them to feel good about themselves and we’ll look good to the outside — like we’re doing all the right things.
Now of course I know there’s a lot more nuance to this. I know you in HR and wellbeing teams are passionate too and want to support your people and you’re bogged down and overwhelmed with too many things to do.
But let me just paint a picture…
What if we truly asked our Mental Health Champions or First Aiders what they want to do?
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What if we truly empowered them to lead by example?
What if we not only trained them in signs and symptoms of others but taught them how to harness their powerful stories for good?
What if we encouraged them to talk about their mental health even if they had a bad day and didn’t make them feel like their role was in jeopardy if they struggled themselves?
What if we were truly open to the flame of change?!
Imagine what our workplaces could look like then.
Calling all mental health Champions and First Aiders!
What do you truly wish you could do to create change?
What do you need? What do you want? ??????
Let me know in the comments!
Director of Commercial Design & Project Delivery | Strategic Visionary | Retail Commercial Design | Turnkey Operations
2 年How to start this discussion and end up in a compassionate safe space .. So is not change the only true and inevitable process of life . Do we not have to put in a massive amount of energy and work to even try limiting change , is this not where letting go really starts and finishes for all of use .. Also the possibility of change is one of most therapeutic tools we have at our disposal in that tomorow is so full of possibilities.... But only if we are prepared to embrace the flame of change without fear of being burnt !!!!!! Big topic Petra brave to raise it ??????