Why Three Little Words will be the key to our future.

We all love simplicity, and that's never more true than in the political arena. 'Build Back Better' are three words that underpinned Jo Biden's presidential campaign. They are also the three words that now underpin the UK's recovery plan. But there may be three little words that mean more to all of us as we emerge from the pandemic.

As part of Advertising Week’s recent festival, I was fortunate enough to chat with three inspiring business leaders. Not only was it a reminder to me how vital human-centric leadership is but it also reminded me of the critical importance of three other words. People, profit and planet and how these three words could well determine how we build back better. 'If you want to change the world for the better, throw a better party than those who are trying to destroy it.’ Douglas Lamont, Innocent’s CEO told me.

And, of course, Innocent Drinks have spent a great deal of time trying to throw a better party than most. Their relentless focus on purpose, vision and values have delivered huge shareholder value but, most importantly, built a business whose primary focus is on its people. That’s true too for Sarah Harbon General Manager at Benefit Cosmetics. If the pandemic has taught her anything, it's been the need to pivot how she thinks about the way her colleagues are supported. 'Manage people well, differently' was her perfect encapsulation of the single biggest challenge that the pandemic threw up for all business leaders.

It sums up why we all have to work harder and smarter to not only put people first but do so in a way that is meaningful and engaging. Harriet Hounsell Chief People Officer Nomad Foods agreed ''Putting sustainability and inclusion as well as wellbeing at the heart of a company, as a strategic imperative, is vital"

Douglas, Sarah and Harriet were all in very different businesses but they all agreed on some critical drivers of future growth. Companies have to listen more and control less. One of the real benefits of the last year has been to give people the opportunity to take ownership of how they feel and how they manage their wellbeing. And if our recent survey of the industry is anything to go by, that matters. We asked people to assess how they measured their own needs of wellbeing and performance using our Let's Reset seven needs Test

The results we very clear. More focus is needed on mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, creativity and levels of autonomy and control. The challenge for all leaders moving forward is adapting our cultures and our processes to allow these areas to be prioritised. Every colleague in every business with whom we work wants more time to stretch their creative muscles. They want more time to look after themselves physically and mentally and feel less overwhelmed. And let’s be clear. They all need support and guidance on how to do this.

For many of us, looking after our own wellbeing is a muscle that’s new and which needs training. People everywhere need an array of exercises to help them do that. The resetting of the 21st century work space is one of the keys to building back better. But there’s another. As Sarah Harbon put it. ‘If you focus on your people first, your profit will take care of itself.’ It's a lesson we could all remind ourselves about much more often.

If you want to find out your 7 needs of wellbeing and performance score join Let's Reset Plus, FREE during Mental Health Awareness Week and find your test score out of 70. Or for more information about how to reset your workplace through Let's Reset wellbeing and performance programmes DM me [email protected]