If you agree that people are your greatest asset, then where’s the proof?

Whilst speaking with a colleague today, I was reminded of the enormous pressures experienced by senior managers and executives as they are expected to manage more with less – which is often the case following an organisational restructure.   There is the expectation that they will be able to take on the work previously undertaken by several people. The fact is, some will, some won't and for others, it will be a slow burn.......out.  Then they will leave the organisation or go off with stress related absence.  My coaching colleague and I both agreed incidentally that an investment in a good coaching programme is the difference that could make the difference. And, of course, we are biased!

At the same time, I recalled an event I attended last year where the Director of a dance company talked about how they looked after not just the physical but also the emotional and psychological health of their dancers.  The dancers had demanding schedules, were on the road away from their families for long periods of time, living in close proximity to each other – all of which can take its toll of their emotional and mental wellbeing. The dance company had a commitment to excellence and peak performance and knew that without their dancers and the ability to wow audiences, there was no dance company.  They made a decision to give dancers access to a suite of services such as physiotherapy, massage, coaching and counselling to keep their mind, body and general health in good working order. This was despite being of charitable status with a small budget.  

As I get older, I reckon it’s all about priorities, what you deem to be really important is what you make a priority, you give it laser focus and act on it.  And it's the same in business. And yet so many businesses have lost focus on the key priority - their people.  If people really are your greatest asset and you expect them to deliver more, what do you do to help them maintain peak performance and emotional wellbeing?  Supporting leaders has to be a priority because how they show up each day affects the healthy or otherwise unhealthy functioning of their teams and those around them. More and more organisations are engaging the services of executive coaches as one way of supporting leaders but not nearly enough.  There are many coaches out there and choosing to employ their services could demonstrate commercial savvy and save businesses a small fortune in the medium to longer term. Notwithstanding, it demonstrates that the organisation does actually place some value in its people with a vested interest in helping them to maintain performance and attend to their wellbeing at the same time. It shows you care and that's a lot of currency in the existing work climate!

About Debbie Connors

Debbie Connors is an executive coach amongst other things. She helps clients in different ways – to remove blocks, to develop new skills, to use language that helps rather than hinders communications and at a deeper level to release untapped creative potential.  Sessions can be fun, serious, deep, moving, penny dropping, never dull. Ultimately what many clients want is to create a successful and meaningful work life, to have great personal relationships and live an extraordinary life.