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Category: Leadership Communication

  • Stress is good – Well sort of…….?

    When was the last time you walked into a train and saw people just sitting or standing looking into “space” or out of the window?  When was the last time you walked in the street and everyone was mindful of where they are going, but not in a hurry to get there first?  When was the last time you walked into an office and everyone was relaxed, thinking, planning, calmly listening to each other and discussing matters of importance, but not urgency?

    What is the point that I am making?  Today’s world is going at such a fast pace that most of us don’t think about, pay attention to, or even notice others as we hurriedly make our way to the office, to home, the shops or in general through life!  What is the impact of this on our well-being and in general on how we see life – Do we live to work, or work to live?

    Stress is at the base of many symptoms and “dis-eases” that modern man suffers – insomnia, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, digestive problems such as Crohn’s disease and acid reflux, much of which we bring on ourselves by the type of life we lead.  What is stress and how can we manage it?

    Stress may be defined as  “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.”  Stress is primarily a physical response.  When stressed, the body thinks it is under attack and switches to ‘fight or flight’ mode, releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine to prepare the body for physical action to fend off danger.   This is commonly known as the “fight or flight” response.

    In the modern world, the ‘fight or flight’ mode can still help us survive dangerous modern day situations, If taken to the extreme it can cause a number of reactions, from blood being diverted to muscles to shutting down unnecessary bodily functions such as digestion. If we find ourselves in the fight or flight state for long periods, due to too much stress, blood flow to the brain is minimised, potentially leading to the inability to think straight and cause dis-eased reactions in our general state of health.  Elevated cortisol levels can lead us to being less tolerant of others, aggressive and short tempered as well as causing an increase in sugar and blood pressure levels, and often a decrease in libido.

    Pressure or Stress

    Most of us respond well to and give of our best when jobs, careers and lives are challenging, but at the same time stimulating, and interesting.  Tasks that are too easy do not engage us or encourage us to give of our best.  On the other hand tasks that are overly challenging, or too numerous push us, and inevitably those around us into an area of too much stress.  Giving of our best means learning to know when we are under or over our limit.  Signs might include:

    Under-stressed – We show a lack of interest or enthusiasm.  We don’t see the meaning behind what we are doing and become bored or have lack of energy.  The colour associated with this state would probably be “grey”.

    Over-stressed – We feel anxious and often confused, feeling like we are in a hamster wheel with no way out. Judgment on situations drops, our ability to solve problems becomes less effective, mistakes increase, re-work increases, and potentially we get angry and frustrated at ourselves and others.  The colour here would probably be “red”

    Optimum level – We are alert and self-confident.  We are interested, respond appropriately and do our tasks with energy.  Our overall demeanor is calm, relaxed, positive and enthusiastic.  For this state, there are several colours that might be associated with optimum level – yellow, green and blue.

    How to achieve and maintain optimum level

    Research into lifestyle shows that we will be better equipped to manage stressful situations if they come along when mentally and physically well.  This means exercising at least three times per week.  Exercise does not have to be running a half marathon or doing the iron man, it can be walking the dog, or yourself upwards of 30 minutes at a steady pace.  It can be swimming, playing tennis, football or any other sport that increases cardiovascular activity to exercise the heart muscle, increase oxygen in the blood, and to the brain and raise the essential endorphins or feel-good factor.

    Maintaining the correct body weight means we are not straining our heart, we are feeling comfortable and happy within ourselves and the organs within our body are not having to work harder, thus taking essential energy due to excess body weight.

    Body weight and energy are achieved through a balanced diet.  Does this mean we cant have the odd piece of cake, packet of crisps or bar of chocolate?  Of course not!  However, eating three meals a day thus feeding the brain as well as the body is important.  Meals should contain slow releasing carbohydrates (whole grains, lentils and pulses), essential fats of Omega 3 and 6 (avocados, pumpkin, sunflower and flax seeds), good quality protein to supply with body with amino acids (chicken, eggs, fish and lentils), and lots of vegetables.  In other words at every meal you should be eating the rainbow!

    Water is not only essential for our bodies, but vital for organ health, the brain and all bodily functions. The human body is made up of 75% water and 25% solid matter.  Brain tissue is 85% water.  When cells in the body are starved of water they start to complain manifesting in different reactions, including stress.

    Additional methods of coping to help us maintain optimum level are:

    • Practice good time management
    • Say “No” when it is needed to say “No”
    • Practice constructive self talk
    • Develop a support system of people you can talk to
    • Avoid procrastination – do it today!

    Stress is necessary at some points in our life, the trick is to ensure that it is “optimum level” stress and if for some reason it goes into “over stress” it is short lived and temporary.

  • Successfully Adapting To Change

    I was out walking recently and heard green canaries chirping in the trees above. This led me to consider the meaning of “adaptability” and how important that is in our world today. Green canaries are not native to the UK. Coming from warmer climates, they have learned to adapt not only to the UK vegetation and food, but also the climate. How did they do this? 

    Being able to adapt to changing circumstances gives the possibility to see and embrace new opportunities, as well as to flow rather than block what is happening around us without becoming a “Yes” man or woman and just going along with everything, therefore being run roughshod over.

    WHEN IT COMES TO ADAPTING AND CHANGING ARE YOU PIVOTING OR ADAPTING?

    Pivoting is the ability to slightly alter your behaviour to accommodate a need created by one person or situation.  You might pivot to make a computer algorithm work, or to bring stability to a procedure or process in response to a situation that requires immediate change. It is not a short-term, superficial correction. It is a long-term solution that requires behavioural, procedure and system process change.

    Adapting on the other hand, is also about change in processes and procedures as well as adapting your behaviour to a change in business processes, company strategy or direction. When you adapt, you respond to a situation that requires change and “make suitable, make fit or suit”. 

    As the world is constantly changing, it is necessary for us to both pivot and adapt in response to change. Businesses, to survive need to adapt to changing external circumstances, such as new competition, economic and financial crises, lack of talent in the market, and many other reasons.  Internally within the organisation there can also be reasons, such as loss of market share, computerisation of certain processes and development of new products.   

    Change is recognising that we need to adapt or change from where and how things are now to what we want them to be.  It is not always negative.  The negativity around change is often individual perception which blocks ability to think positively and flow with the change, rather sticking with “the devil we know rather than the devil we don’t know,” even though things might not be functioning the way we would like them to function.  

    Successfully Adapting To ChangeAs humans we tend to create a default behaviour that includes routines, habits and patterns around seeking pleasure, avoiding pain and conserving energy. This is termed your “comfort zone”. The familiar and automatic ways of how you organise your life around what you know with little or no thought needed.  

    Your comfort zone will include actions and thoughts, for example actions might be getting a coffee from your favourite cafe on the way to work, checking emails every 30 minutes, taking the same route to work every day, and brushing your teeth after each meal. Thoughts might include patterns around “nothing will change, therefore why try?”, “I know I’m right”, and thoughts of “I can” and “I can’t”.  

    A comfort zone keeps you stuck in mediocrity and may even threaten your health and well-being as well as overall achievements.  Some comfort zone patterns and behaviours serve you, some do not as they can be very limiting and stop you from adapting and changing at times when it is needed. All have costs and payoffs. 

    Having grown accustomed to our comfort zones, they become largely invisible. 

    This means you have to consciously make an effort to “see” when you are in your comfort zone and question, especially in situations that require change whether a particular comfort zone is serving you or not. It is natural to struggle at some point with the unknown, preferring to stay with the familiar. It is that same comfort zone that can result in you becoming stagnant, dis-interested and lethargic. Stepping out of your comfort zone to adapt and change is what creates growth and personal development.

    WHAT ARE TYPICAL REACTIONS AND RESPONSES TO THE NEED TO CHANGE?

    Responses are likely to link to various comfort zones and other perceptions and personal goals and might include, but not be limited to: 

    • Denial 
    • Playing politics 
    • Desire to stay with the familiar – comfort zone 
    • Resistance – finding all the reasons why this is not a “good idea” because of: 
    • Fear of failure – anxiety “can I cope” 
    • Fear of job security – perceived threat 
    • Mistrust  
    • Embracing the change as it highlights potential opportunities 
    • Excitement around something new 
    • And many more. 

    Many of us struggle with the need to change on some level and these reactions are mostly natural and understandable, with the exception of playing politics. The Kubler-Ross change curve illustrates clearly the process we go through when facing the need to change:

    1. Shock – surprise or shock at the news and the fact that things are going to change. 
    2. Denial – Disbelief and looking for evidence that it is not true. Talking to others about what they have heard, why it might be the case and why it cannot relate to you. 
    3. Frustration – That you now recognise that things are going to be different. You might have some feelings of negativity, even frustration and anger. 
    4. Depression – A reaction to knowing that change is inevitable, resulting in lack of energy and low mood, which might be dispersed with bouts of anger. 
    5. Experiment – Initial engagement with the new situation. It is likely that you are hesitant and are not embracing the required change. Mechanical rather than whole-hearted, because is it something you “have” to do, rather than want to through personal choice. 
    6. Decision – Realisation that the change is here to stay, and you are coming to terms with it by supporting the process. Usually at this stage you feel more positive about it. 
    7. Integration – The change has been integrated and become the new norm. Mood and behaviour is consistent and positive as you feel “at one” with the new processes and system.​

    The Kubler-Ross change curve

    HOW CAN YOU CREATE STABILITY AROUND SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE YOU TO ADAPT AND CHANGE?

    Address your attitude and approach – Whenever you are faced with the need to adapt, whether in a discussion when you do not share the same opinion or some other situation. Perhaps a decision has been made that you disagree with or there is a process, system or restructuring change needed in the work environment? What attitude do you adopt to discuss the issues that you face? Do you present a stubborn, unwilling, resisting person, or do you use enquiry to understand more before making up your mind? 

    Cognitive Ability – The cognitive aspect of adapting is reflected through your ability to enquire curiously. The desire to know more before you create your own opinion about what is required or potentially is about to happen. Only at this point making a decision using logical thinking and then expressing your opinion, thoughts and suggestions to support the need to adapt or change. 

    Emotional Reaction – If you care about something, it is very unlikely that you will not have some kind of emotional reaction. If you agree with the change you will likely demonstrate positive emotions, if you do not agree, then you might express this inwardly or outwardly. Inwardly suppressing your feelings and not sharing them with anyone, making it difficult for others to understand how you feel about the situation. If you express it outwardly there can be an array of reactions from a raised voice that is desperately trying to protect the current situation to anger and aggression, demonstrating a “controlling” approach that is pointing out all the reasons why this is not a good idea, and why keeping everything the same is the right thing to do.

    HOW DO YOU MANAGE THESE ASPECTS OF YOUR “HUMAN BEING” SO THAT YOU CAN ADAPT MORE EASILY?

    1. Listen to what is being explained without commentary. Hear what is being said without evaluation. Make notes if you need to. 
    2. Open up the discussion, asking questions to clarify any points and to fully understand.  
    3. If you agree with what is being said, say so and clarify points around any next steps. If you do not agree, avoid needless discussion and subjecting others to a barrage of reasons that making such changes is not a good idea. 
    4. Re-frame your position – think first of the positives around the suggested change and discuss those and then if needed ask questions to see clarification around aspects that appear to be less positive. 
    5. Pose your questions that highlight your concerns in relation to the change. Allow for discussion, remaining open and positive.
    6. As a result of the discussion, define what is expected and any goals. Gain agreement. 
    7. If you feel that it is still not a good idea having heard the answers to your questions, you can express this. At the same time, give your commitment to support the changes and adaptations needed. 
    8. Accept and flow with the changes. 

     

    “Every success story is a tale of constant revision, adaptation and change.”

    -Richard Branson

     

    Our E-learning course ‘Adapting to Change’ is coming soon. In the meantime, why not view our current catalogue of E-learning courses? 

     

    REFERENCES:

    On Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross M.D 

    The Bigger Game, Laura Whitworth, Nick Tamlyn

  • Suffering from stress at work? 5 steps to building resilience

    According to HSE.Gov.co.uk almost one million people (976,000) in the UK are suffering from work-related stress that is making them ill, resulting in sick leave and absenteeism.  It is estimated that 12 million working days are lost each year in the UK due to stress-related illness. 

    WHAT IS STRESS? 

    The dictionary defines stress as “ a forcibly exerted influence usually causing distress or strain.”    In short, stress is any factor, positive or negative that requires a response or change. Medical research recognizes that chronic ongoing stress can lead to illness, aggravate existing disease conditions and accelerate aging.  Common stressors include many aspects of a Western lifestyle including work, financial, emotional and environmental issues, as well as a nutrient poor diet that inflicts undue stress on your physical and mental bodies.  

    The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge.  Clearly these concepts are not the same.  Challenge, if at the appropriate level, energizes both mind and body.  It motivates to learn new skills and master new and more challenging job roles. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied, proud and perhaps even excited about what has been achieved. 

    WHEN DOES A CHALLENGE BECOME STRESSFUL?   

    This is a bit like asking “How long is a piece of string?” As each one of us are different and unique, there cannot be a one-size fits all answer.  However, there are some aspects in the Western lifestyle and work ethic that can and do contribute to an individual suffering from work-related stress. For example, when the goal cannot be achieved because it looks and feels overwhelming or when demands cannot be met, due to capability and or lack of necessary resources.  It might, on the other hand, be caused by relationships, or more importantly poor relations with someone that you have to work with, due to their bullying, manipulating habits.  Perhaps you are working in a toxic environment due to poor or inappropriate leadership that is causing an overly competitive work environment, playing one person off against the other. Under any of these circumstances or a combination of circumstances, very quickly the situation can change from focused and motivated to mental and physical exhaustion from trying and the sense of ability to accomplish turned into feelings of stress. 

    COVID AND WORK STRESS 

    Post Covid society is going to be looking at millions of people who have been affected negatively by the lockdown processes and are now suffering a variety of mental and likely physical illnesses due to measures brought in to limit the spread, by the many governments all over the world.  Many are living under an umbrella of fear that has been working away at healthy people, slowly destroying immune capability through increasing stress caused by the fear of catching SARS-Cov-2.  Not being able to “vent steam” through sport, visiting family and friends has blocked the usual avenues of lessening impact of negative events or at least balancing them with laughter and joy through regular social contact, touching, hugging and face to face conversation in close proximity to those we love.  No one anticipated that by protecting one group of vulnerable people, you create another. A model created by the “Centre for Mental Health” last year predicted that, due to Covid, around 8.5 million adults and 1.5 million children in England alone will need support for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorders and other mental health difficulties in the coming months and years. 

    WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF STRESS? 

    Early symptoms include tiredness and lack of energy, tension headaches, and poor sleep, with perhaps even dizziness, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and migraines.  When stress becomes more ingrained and bordering on or causing adrenal overload, these symptoms are still evident, but become stronger and more constant, and are often joined by other symptoms including, sweaty hands and feet, insomnia, circulating thoughts, nightmares, inability to get back to sleep, mood swings, anxiety attacks, stomach pains, heart burn and palpitations, depression and if that’s not enough – a permanent feeling of being exhausted all the time.  

    Subjecting the body to constant stress means the fight and flight system is no longer able to turn off. This is the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. In other words, your body is in a constant state of alert, whether there is danger or not. Stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released which sends blood to the areas of the body that most need it including the heart and muscles in order to get you away from the immediate danger.  When the perceived fear has gone, the hypothalamus should tell the system to go back to normal, but when constantly under stress this system becomes incapable of regulation resulting in excess cortisol and adrenaline, flooding the system causing the many symptoms mentioned.   

    5 steps to building resilienceWaiting for anyone to heal you is going to be a long wait.  Life throws many curve-balls at each one of us that we have no control over, however there is much that you can do to manage the impact by building resilience. The only person who can be responsible for your health is you.  As stress has deep impact on both the mental and physical body, it is important to put some simple steps in place to limit the impact and build your resilience before it becomes a permanent feature that requires intervention by a health expert. Often these interventions use pharmaceutical products that mask the symptoms so that you can live with them, continuing the same lifestyle pattern and avoiding dealing with the actual problem. 

    5 SIMPLE STEPS TO PROACTIVELY MANAGING THE IMPACT OF STRESS   

    Assuming the stress factors are work-related the following are some helpful tips for proactively protecting you from adverse stress as well as managing the body’s reaction in the early stages through re-balancing your natural circadian rhythm through life experience – your diet, lifestyle and physical movement. 

    1. PRACTICE GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE:

    • Be in bed by 10.30pm 
    • Make your bedroom a “no zone” for electronic devices  
    • Keep the bedroom dark and free from electric or “blue” light 
    • A minimum of two hours before going to bed: 
    • Stop using all electronic devices in order to calm the brain and allow it to produce sleep-inducing melatonin.  Read, meditate, take a warm bath with calming essential oils or simply share relaxation time with your family instead. 
    • Complete any vigorous exercise and allow the body time to calm down and relax to avoid lying awake trying to go to sleep. 
    • Eat your last meal allowing time for complete digestion. 
    • Drink a cup of calming herbal tea such as Lime Blossom, Chamomile, Lemon Melissa and/or Lavender before retiring 

    2. BE ASSERTIVE:

    • Know your limits and practice saying “No” when the boss or a colleague becomes over-demanding. 
    • Openly and positively confront those who have taken it upon themselves to make your life stressful. 
    • Deal with conflict, don’t push it under the carpet hoping it will go away. 
    • Speak up for yourself – share your opinion, ideas and feelings before they become overwhelming.  It is alright to feel how you feel, just because it might be different to how others are feeling, does not make it wrong. 
    • Avoid procrastination in all areas of your life as it does not positively serve you. 

    3. PRACTICE POSITIVE SELF-TALK AND HABITS:

    • Observe how you speak to yourself and avoid negative self-talk that emphasizes what is not right about yourself, what you have done wrong, what you should or could have done in any particular situation and so on. Negative self-talk is destructive and only creates further mental pressure to be or do something differently. It does not provide a positive framework to change the aspect of your behaviour or performance that you are not happy about. 
    • Express gratitude daily for those things in your life that you are grateful for.  Find a time of the day that is convenient, such as first thing in the morning or last thing at night to give gratitude for the small things in your life, that make a big difference. 

    4. SET BOUNDARIES AND MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF:

    Rushing around accomplishing things and crossing them off the to-do list can be very satisfying,  but it does not feed body and soul nor does it always accomplish what is important to you, your team and your organisation.  All of us require down-time to do what feeds our soul, whether that is doing nothing, walking, meditating, taking a hot bath or lying on your sofa reading. 

    • Schedule down-time for yourself each week even if it is only for 30 minutes twice a week, this is your time and is as important, if not more so, than many other things on your to-do list.  Keep to it! 
    • Educate and encourage others to respect this time as being sacred and necessary for you to renew yourself and fill your tank.
    • Block time without interrruptions that gives you space to accomplish top priority tasks.  If necessary make yourself unavailable by putting a sign on your door or sending out an email to inform your colleagues. 
    • Enjoy  and appreciate space and silence, avoid being tempted to fill it with “noise”. 

    5. BE ACTIVE AND MOVE

    • The body and mind becomes stagnant, as does your energy when you sit all day in front of a computer, television or on the sofa. This can often lead to circulating thoughts which go round and round with no route of escape. By moving you energize the body by getting lymph moving, while also feeding the brain with serotonin (feel good factor), especially if going out into nature.  Build time into your day to move, even if that is get a cuppa or walk to the corner shop.  Periodic stretching away from your computer also helps increase energy and resilience. 
    • Moving does not need you to run a marathon, but rather to do regular exercise whether walking, Pilates, Yoga, swimming or playing tennis to release any pent up emotions that are stiffening up the neck and shoulder muscles, your back and overall flexibility. Connecting with nature as you do your favourite exercise brings double benefit to mind and body. 
    • Taking a massage or doing reflexology regularly also has many beneficial effects in relaxing the body, promoting energy through effective movement of lymph and keeping muscles toned, overall helping to manage stressful events and build resilience. 

    Engaging in a balance of activities, being mindful of what you eat and how you eat, allowing time to create space and silence as well as connecting with nature, building in time for human interaction and connection and being active when combined with setting boundaries and increasing assertive behaviour helps to improve resilience as well as sustain good health, wellbeing and overall performance by resyncing your physical and mental bodies.

     

    To find out how to improve you or your team’s workplace stress, see our E-learning courses for Wellbeing in the Workplace.

  • Suffering from work-related stress? You are not alone!

    According to research nearly half a million people in the UK have work-related stress that is making them ill, resulting in sick leave and absenteeism.  It is estimated that 12 million working days are lost each year in the UK due to stress-related illness. (HSE.gov.co.uk)

    WHAT IS STRESS?

    The dictionary defines stress as “ a forcibly exerted influence usually causing distress or strain.”    In short stress is any factor, positive or negative that requires a response or change. Medical research recognizes that chronic ongoing stress can lead to illness, aggravate existing disease conditions and accelerate aging.  Common stressors include most aspects of life in the Western world – work related, financial, emotional and environmental, as well as nutritional factors.

    The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge. Clearly these concepts are not the same.  Challenge, if at the appropriate level, energizes both psychologically and physically.  It motivates to learn new skills and master new and more challenging job roles. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied, proud and perhaps even excited about what has been achieved.

    When does a challenge become stressful?  Either when the goal cannot be achieved because it looks and feels overwhelming or when demands cannot be met, due to capability and or lack of necessary resources.  Very quickly the situation can change from focused and motivated to exhaustion from trying, and the sense of ability to accomplish has turned into feelings of stress.

    WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF STRESS?

    What are the symptoms of stress?Stress doesn’t just lead to workplace absenteeism, is can cause illness in many forms. Read this blog to learn the symptoms of stress, early warning signs, and what you can do to offset stress. #stress

    Early symptoms include tiredness and lack of energy, tension headaches, and poor sleep, and even dizziness, stomach tension and diarrhoea.  When stress becomes more ingrained and bordering on or causing adrenal exhaustion, these symptoms are still evident, but stronger and more constant, and are often joined by other symptom including, sweaty hands and feet, insomnia, circulating thoughts, nightmares, inability to get back to sleep, mood swings, anxiety attacks, stomach pains, heart burn and palpitations, depression and if that’s not enough – a permanent feeling of being exhausted all the time. 

    IS STRESS MAKING YOU SICK?

    Is stress making you sick?Stress doesn’t just lead to workplace absenteeism, is can cause illness in many forms. Read this blog to learn the symptoms of stress, early warning signs, and what you can do to offset stress.

    Subjecting the body to constant stress means the fight and flight system is no longer able to turn off.  In other words your body is in a constant state of alert, whether there is danger or not.    Stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released which sends blood to the areas of the body that most need it including the heart and muscles in order to get you away from the immediate danger.  When the perceived fear has gone, the hypothalamus should tell the system to go back to normal, but when constantly under stress this system becomes incapable of regulation resulting in cortisol flooding the system causing the many symptoms mentioned.

    Stress doesn’t just lead to workplace absenteeism, is can cause illness in many forms. Read this blog to learn the symptoms of stress, early warning signs, and what you can do to offset stress.

    Some helpful tips for managing the body’s reaction in the early stages of stressSOME HELPFUL TIPS FOR MANAGING THE BODY’S REACTION IN THE EARLY STAGES OF STRESS:

    • Practice good sleep hygiene  – be in bed by 10.30pm
    • Make your bedroom a “no zone” for electronic devices
    • Stop using all electronic devices at least an hour before bed in order to calm the brain.  Read, meditate, take a warm bath with calming essential oils or simply share time with your family instead
    • Vigorous exercise to be completed a minimum of 2 hours before going to bed
    • Allow two hours for digestion of your last meal before going to bed.
    • Drink calming tea such as Lime Blossom, Chamomile, Lemon Melissa and or Lavender before retiring 

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.

  • Swan-like leadership – a festive thought moving into 2018

    At this time of year many of us try to be the archetypal model of a swan, gracefully gliding over the surface whilst paddling like fury under the water line trying to get everything done both in the work environment and at home!  I can relate to this, especially with so many events that come one after another.

    Above the surface we may seem calm and our leadership style appears in control, but minds are racing as we try to make sure that everything is in place to ensure we can enjoy the few days off from our place of work over this festive period, whilst at the same time multi or triple tasking to do all the things for the family to make the time together special.  As minds are on ‘organisational alert,’ we risk asking the retrospective question of ‘was it worth it?’  We ask this because our minds weren’t there to enjoy it … they were on other things!  In all of this we know that this isn’t the real ‘mature’ or most effective way to live, to enjoy this season and to enjoy life as a whole.

    What should we do to avoid this trap of frenzied living?

    There are other levels in life, from deep spiritual to intense physical times.  Often these happen unexpectedly and in these times we can and do experience deep joy, a sense of perspective, a sense of peace and calm.  Frequently these times of true living are missed. When I think of life and how easy it is to fall into the ‘swan’ model, I know there is more.  There are other levels to know and live a fuller life.  I am not saying that we should ‘down tools’ and not work hard towards the good things we want for ourselves and others.  To me it is all about ‘multi-level living as opposed to triple tasking!’  Seeing clearly what is important and working with commitment and in full presence.

    In the coming year I hope to be ‘swan-like’ as I do my part to organise and put into place all resolutions, goals, events etc. I wish everyone a level of spiritual calm that puts things into perspective showing us what is and is not important, a resource that gives a deeper sense than that of frenzied paddling, leading to a sense of balance, bringing about refreshing leadership, clear decision making and a fun place to be as well as a fun person to be with.

    Wishing everyone joy whilst celebrating this special festive season and inner calm to ensuring effective and fun self leadership and leadership of others in 2018.  May all your goals and resolutions be achieved with ease.

  • The Connection Between Leadership, Relationships & Burnout

    This blog was born from a conversation held recently with a new client.  This client came for a herbal medicine and naturopathy consultation.  Through asking several questions, it became clear that this client was very close to or was already suffering adrenal “burn out” due to stress.

    The connection between leadership, relationships & burnoutIn our conversation she mentioned that she works as a care assistant looking after others, sometimes in the care centre itself and sometimes by going on home visits.  In other words, she spends her day giving to others, including kindness, simple The values of your organisation has a tremendous impact on your working relationships, which then impacts how likely you are to experience burnout.medical attention and companionship to help them feel the warmth of another human being, to be a part of life, as well as wanted and loved.

    How is it possible that someone who spends her time giving care to others misses out on any care herself?

    This is the old adage of “the mechanic fixes everyone else’s car first and his car last?”  In other words, his car seldom gets any mechanical attention.  Giving to others means that our own resources need to be full up all the time to ensure we avoid draining our tank leading to constant tiredness, lack of energy and eventually physical and mental ill health.

    As part of this conversation, the client muttered under her breath that “no one gives her any care”, further adding that she is holding up various members of her own family for one of other reason.  From my point of view, this situation begs many questions, each of which are addressed below:

    WHAT ARE THE VALUES OF THE ORGANISATION? 

    It seems rather strange that an organisation that makes its money from giving care, does not consider care, kindness, wellbeing and health of its own employees, firstly through the organisation values and secondly in processes and procedures to support the mental and physical wellbeing of the “golden goose”. In other words, the very people that the organisation earns money through via the charged service they provide.

    HOW CAN AN ORGANISATION CREATE ITS LIVELIHOOD THROUGH CARING FOR OTHERS AND NOT DO THE SAME FOR THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES? 

    The answer to this question also links to the values of the organisation.  Overall it sounds very much like there are double standards, one for external clients who pay for the service and the other for internal clients, those that work in the organisation providing care.

    KNOWING THE DIFFICULTIES AND DAILY STRESSES OF WORKING IN HEALTHCARE HOW CAN THE MANAGERS AND LEADERS FROM THE TOP DOWN NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THE CARE NEEDS OF ITS OWN PEOPLE?

    The ability to interact, feel and sense how each and every one of his or her team is doing is vital in any organisation to be able to add value to each and every employee, so that they in turn can add value to their customers through enjoyment of what they do.  This means developing relationships with each and every person in your team to know what is going on with them.  The ability to hear what is different from the norm, to “see” their behaviour through a direct sense, which might be referred to as intuition or sixth sense.  In “Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?”  By Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones they refer to this sixth sense as  “Situation sensing”.  In order to be effective at situation sensing Goffee and Jones explain that leaders need to have observational and cognitive skills to interpret what is happening around them, for example low morale, complacency that needs challenging and weak data. In the case of this lady, the fact that she is struggling and needs support with all the responsibilities that she is carrying.

    HOW IS THE LACK OF CARE AND ATTENTION TO MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELLBEING OF PERSONNEL LIKELY IMPACTING THE ORGANISATION? 

    Of course, I can only make some educated guesses here, but with one member of the team coming to see me to address her lack of energy, erratic and at best very weak digestive system, poor sleep and severe lack of joy in her life, is likely a reflection of other employees who perform the same or similar roles to her.  Unproductive – simply going through the motions of her job, failing to see the needs of her clients, putting both the client and the company reputation in vulnerable positions.  Lack of patience and tolerance with those clients that are more challenging, lack of patience and tolerance with herself, inability to focus and operating by auto pilot, all of which combine together and ultimately result in inevitably taking sick leave.

    21.2 days is the average number of days lost to mental ill health in the UK (HSE.gov), including anxiety, depression and stress when a person files for sick leave.  What is more cost effective, taking care of your personnel to provide an environment, working practices and leadership that supports each and every person in doing a good job for both themselves and the organisation, or ignoring the signs of stress, anxiety, fatigue and  lack of joy, potentially leading to mental or physical burnout?

    A case through the eyes of a departed duty manager:  A small, privately owned hotel situated about 10 miles out of London in a very pretty town on the river Thames.  As the majority of the personnel, including the duty managers are not local, all are offered accommodation, for a monthly rental fee in the hotel.  The rooms with small ensuite shower are very small with space only for a bed and chair.

    The owner appears unable to give out trust to his team, keeping a close eye on everything and operating with strict rules, irrelevant of how those rules might interfere with providing guests and restaurant customers a good level of service.  For example, staff meals are to be taken at a particular time and if not able to take a break at that time, food cannot be taken away and eaten later.  It should be thrown in the bin!  One duty manager was surprised to find at the end of the month that his salary was less than the contracted amount.  On enquiring as to the reason, was informed that he was not adding the expected level of value and therefore his salary was reduced.  There was no discussion to enquire how things are going, whether he was happy, whether he needed some help to become more effective etc.  The salary was simply cut with no explanation.  Correction of personnel in front of the guest was apparently common-place.  By now I think you have the picture of the kind of manager and leader, we are dealing with?  Situation sensing is not a part of his skill set.

    WHAT IS THE LIKELY RESULT OF THIS LEADERSHIP APPROACH?

    After three months the duty manager on finding another job, where he felt he can add value and be recognised in return for that, left the hotel giving the contractual one week’s notice.

    Another duty manager in the same hotel, simply did not come in for his early morning shift.  Without a word he left the hotel and has to this point not returned.  His mother did however inform the hotel that he had found another job and would not be returning.  Reading between the lines, it is likely that the atmosphere and behaviour of the owner drove him to leave, giving no second thought to employment procedures and rules, not caring about the salary that he might be due, rather valuing his self-respect, knowledge, skills and freedom more highly than his previous employer did?

    WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THIS STYLE OF MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP ON HEALTH, WELLBEING AND THE BUSINESS?

    It is difficult to find the right balance in any leadership role between over control and the appropriate level of control.   To give out trust, but at the same time not over trust, to build meaningful relations with each and every team member and to support as needed but not do their jobs for them.  This cannot be done by being too distant, or by being too close.  In each and every case it is about assessing the individual, knowing them well and recognising when things are out of balance and consequently going in the wrong direction, for either one or both parties.

    In both the illustrated hotel cases, these individuals found a way out before affecting their personal wellbeing. What about the lady who is on adrenal burnout, the one who is supporting most of her family members and has no resources left in her tank to even contemplate changing jobs?

     

    To learn how we can help you and your organisation, email Rachel directly at rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com 

     

    References:

    Why should anyone be led by you?  Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones

    https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.

  • The Great Resignation & The Future of Work: Rachel’s interview with Karen Mangia at Authority Magazine

    The Great Resignation & The Future of Work: How Employers and Employees Are Reworking Work Together

    Rachel was recently interviewed by Karen Mangia at Authority Magazine as part of their series about how the workplace is changing, how leadership needs to evolve and what employees are looking for in an employer.

    When it comes to designing the future of work, one size fits none. Discovering success isn’t about a hybrid model or offering remote work options. Individuals and organizations are looking for more freedom. The freedom to choose the work model that makes the most sense. The freedom to choose their own values. And the freedom to pursue what matters most. We reached out to successful leaders and thought leaders across all industries to glean their insights and predictions about how to create a future that works. As a part of our interview series called “How Employers and Employees are Reworking Work Together,” we had the pleasure to interview Rachel Shackleton.

    Read the full Authority Magazine article here.

  • Leading a Contact Centre – The Hidden Challenges

    As a manager of a support or contact centre, do you recognise any of these challenges when trying to lead your team to deliver excellent and consistent customer service, while also meeting demanding performance targets?

    If so, you’re not alone. Many contact centre managers face a combination of people, performance, and engagement challenges that make leading others one of the toughest, but most rewarding roles in business today.

    1. The Leadership Learning Curve

    Too often, managers step into their roles with little preparation or development for what leadership truly entails. They may have been top-performing agents, but managing others requires a different skill set entirely.

    Common challenges include:

    • Difficulty transitioning from team player to manager
    • Lack of emotional intelligence to build trust and strong relationships
    • Avoiding difficult conversations or giving feedback when performance dips
    • Struggling to coach effectively to drive behavioural change
    • Handling too many escalated calls, which may signal a lack of team empowerment.

    Leadership in a contact centre is about influence, coaching, and empathy—skills that require focused development and continuous learning.

    2. The Human Connection in a Hybrid World

    Many organisations celebrate hybrid working as a win-win: reduced office costs, better work-life balance, and increased flexibility. But there’s another side to the story—human engagement between managers and employees can easily drop when face-to-face contact becomes rare. The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” too often becomes reality.

    When team members feel disconnected, motivation slips, communication weakens, and performance targets suffer. Today’s managers need new skills to lead remotely—skills in virtual communication, trust-building, and emotional presence to ensure their teams remain inspired, supported, and empowered, even when working miles apart.

    3. The Cost of Constant Turnover

    Every new hire whether in a contact centre or elsewhere typically needs months of training and coaching before reaching full productivity. When attrition is high, managers are caught in a constant cycle of recruiting, onboarding, and retraining—leaving less time for strategy, coaching, and customer experience improvement.

    High staff turnover is not only financially costly, but it also drains team morale and consistency. Customers notice when they’re dealing with inexperienced agents, and loyal employees feel frustrated when they must constantly compensate and fill gaps.

    4. Beyond “It’s Typical for This Role”: Tackling Attrition at the Source

    Attrition in support centres is often accepted as “part of the job.” But if we dig deeper, it can reveal more serious root causes and concerns:

    • A toxic work culture where stress and burnout go unchecked
    • Poor management practices or lack of employee recognition
    • Weak recruiting that places the wrong people in the wrong roles.

    While some turnover is healthy and brings fresh perspectives, excessive churn creates chaos, inconsistency, and frustration for both employees and customers. The key to reducing attrition isn’t just about better pay or benefits—it’s about developing great managers. Managers who communicate clearly, coach effectively, and build trust and motivation create environments where people want to stay, do a great job and grow.

    5. Investing in Manager Development Is No Longer Optional

    The success of any support centre ultimately depends on the capability of its managers. By equipping them with the right skills—emotional intelligence, feedback delivery, coaching, and remote leadership, organisations can:

    • Strengthen employee engagement
    • Reduce costly turnover
    • Improve customer satisfaction
    • And create a culture of accountability and empowerment.

    In the end, great customer service starts with great leadership. Developing your managers isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s the foundation for a healthy, high-performing contact centre.

    The key lies in developing managers who can:

    •           Lead with empathy and accountability

    •           Coach effectively to build competence and confidence

    •           Maintain engagement in hybrid settings

    •           Model the culture you want your customers to experience

    Strong leadership remains the cornerstone of every high-performing team, department, and organisation.

    Looking for learning solutions to support development of your managers, here's a recent case study:

    https://www.greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com/pages/improving-support-centre-effectiveness

    More reading:

    https://www.greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com/pages/blog?p=thriving-call-centre-culture-wellbeing-success

     One of our solutions:

    https://www.greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com/bundles/management-skills-in-the-tech-sector

     

  • The impact of a toxic job

    Recently I have been deeply saddened by the number of people that I know that have a toxic job in a toxic environment whether physically in the office or remotely. When listening to the news over the last few months that staff are scarce and it is difficult to hire personnel for the many job vacancies, I am beginning to wonder if there some correlation between leadership and the way employees are treated and the scarcity of people, and therefore the inability to hire to fill vacancies?

    Everyone has bad days at work, but there are signs that employees and employers need to watch out for before a bad week “at the office” turns into never-ending, debilitating work stress that is ruining their personal health.  

    Too many people are trapped in toxic jobs. Jeffrey Pfeffer, an organizational behaviour professor at Stanford wrote in his book  “Dying for a Paycheck,”  (March 2018) that research has found that poor management in U.S. companies accounted for up to 8 percent of annual health costs and was associated with 120,000 excess deaths every year. Are employers really asking employees to put up with poor management and a toxic work environment at the cost of their health?

    As a Naturopath, Kinesiologist and Medical Herbalist, when consulting private clients about their health it is clear when the body knows subconsciously that their job is to blame for feelings of stress and overwhelm and it is that that is leading to the very symptoms they are consulting me about.

    What are typical symptoms when subjected to stress for long periods of time causing overwhelm, feelings of being over-stressed and potentially burnt out?

    Poor Sleep

    Very often poor or lack of sleep is one of the main symptoms. Clients report either not being able to sleep because their mind is racing or not being able to stay asleep, waking up in the middle of the night thinking about their to-do list or how to address a “conflict” issue with their boss. A few restless nights is not a big deal, but if it becomes a pattern, that may be a sign that job stress has become toxic.

    Waking night after night feeling more and more exhausted is a recipe for increasing mistakes when at work leading to re-work, which then affects the achievement of agreed goals and deadlines, causing a downward spiral to ill-health and poor performance.

    Headaches 

    I remember having a job many years ago, that literally made me sick. I would stand outside the door and all my muscles would tense up to guard my body from injury, causing chronic tension in my neck, shoulders and head. Chronic tension in this area is often associated with tension headaches and if it continues for weeks, may result in migraines, both being extremely debilitating, but migraine having the power to shut down the body and mind for up to 24 hours before the person begins to feel a little better.

    Digestion Issues and Nausea

    When in a job that is toxic, it can feel like you’re fighting off a wild tiger at your desk. Under a perceived threat, your brain floods the system with adrenaline and other stress hormones.

    A nervous system constantly under stress, can cause feelings of nausea, issues with digestion such as diahorrea or even constipation, as the body holds on to something that simply it cannot let go of. Notice how you and your employees are sitting when working at their computer? Are their shoulders hunched and jaw clenched most of the time as this might be a sign that the job is impacting health. 

    Indigestion, constipation and bloating can all be associated with stress, but not always the main cause, as stress impacts what and how the gut digests foods. Stress due to circulating stress hormones has the ability to impact healthy gut bacteria which in turn impacts mood due to the gut-brain axis. 

    Poor Mental Health

    At the moment, there is great emphasis on poor mental health and how organisations are to address this to prevent employees from suffering with mental health diseases, such as anxiety, mood swings, low mood and depression. Could it be that the toxic workplace and/ or boss is actually causing the mental ill-health in the first place?

    In 2019 depression was the leading cause of mental health related diseases and major cause of disability worldwide affecting approximately 280 million people and accounting for more than 47 million disability-adjusted life years in the same year. In fact, post Covid, a World Health Organisation (WHO) study published in April 2022 states that “global prevalence of mental health disorders increased by a massive 25% across the board”. Young people and women being the worst hit.

    Suffering from Regular Sickness

    If you are catching colds constantly, or don’t seem to be able to shake off a cold, ask yourself “Why this might be so?” If you have employees that seem to be constantly sick, have a closer look at what they are doing? Are they constantly working under pressure and stress, or very long hours just to keep up? Are they happy and fulfilled in what they are doing? How do you encourage and lead them? Do you give positive feedback on a regular basis or are you quick to criticise and highlight all the things that they are doing wrong?

    There is a direct relationship to living a happy fulfilled life and health. Chronic stress, whatever the source will compromise the immune system, making the individual more susceptible to illness, therefore that cycle of illness-exhaustion-unhappiness repeating over and over. This obviously increases sickness and absenteeism within a department, putting stress on those that are working, and the company as a whole.

    Tired all the Time

    A feeling of being tired all the time, having no energy and the desire to sleep is fatigue, a bone-deep weariness that no nap or weekend lie-in seems to cure. Toxic jobs and a / or a toxic work environment or relationship can create a cycle that drains us. When feeling overwhelmed we tend to lack focus and concentration and therefore require longer working hours to achieve the same result. This in turn leads to a downward spiral and results in time off to recuperate.

    Appetite Changes

    Appetite is closely linked to your brain. Under acute stress, your fight-or-flight response releases adrenaline, telling your body to suppress digestion to focus on saving you from the perceived danger. Under long-term stress the body’s adrenal glands release and build up cortisol, a hormone which can increase hunger. When your job is causing long-term emotional distress, you may turn to food for comfort or completely lose your appetite.  

    Sugary foods and caffeine-based drinks are often the type of food craved when under stress because the body and brain are burning masses of energy just to sustain an even keel. Sugary foods, often known as comfort foods, as with caffeine-based drinks, give that quick energy boost to get you through the next task. Doing this occasionally will not cause too much harm, but when locked into this cycle the downside is a sugar low, and over time that low gets lower and the energy boost lower also, feeding a craving for more and more sugar, but resulting in less and less energy.

    What is Your Responsibility in Staying Healthy?

    As an Employee:

    Address the toxic boss – Go straight to the horse’s mouth and lead an open conversation about how you are feeling and why. Calling your boss “toxic” certainly will not win you any brownie points but, pointing out that his or her leadership approach is inappropriate to lead and encourage to be at your best and most productive, just might. If it doesn’t you know where you stand.

    Reframe your negative thinking – One of the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, is that how you think can change how you feel. Perhaps changing jobs is not an option for you. Therefore, reframing the situation might just work. Using mindfulness to manage unhelpful churning thoughts about how a recent presentation went, what you should have said in a particular situation, instead of what you did say, or what a colleague said to you, can be very useful in stopping these unhelpful thoughts that create dissatisfaction and drain energy while they are at it!

    Create personal boundaries – Create boundaries for how many hours you work each day. Don’t be overly pedantic about this in being sure to observe the exact start and finish times, but generally stay within the parameters. Take breaks for lunch and get away from your work-station, computer or regular place of actual work, so that you can enjoy your break without interruption. Educate others around your boundaries so that they too can organise themselves.

    Be clear on goals – Clarify anything that is not clear before embarking on the task. Fumbling through tasks that are not clear in the hope that you might get it right uses up much unnecessary energy through generating feelings of lack of confidence and circulating self-talk, while also running round trying to find information from others who are themselves not clear on what they are responsible for and therefore don’t have what you need.

    Leave – On recognising that you are in the “wrong” job for you, see these things as a warning that you need to get a new job. Long hours, absence of autonomy, uncertain scheduling, poor management and economic insecurity of a job are all factors that contribute to a toxic workplace environment that employees need to leave behind, not just cope with. If you have tried to solve the issue with your direct boss, perhaps HR as well, and nothing has changed you need to fix the underlying problem, not continue to deal with the symptoms in the hope that something will change.

    As a Leader:

    Listen to your employees – If they are providing feedback about you or the way in which the department is functioning, whether positive or otherwise, listen. Take it as positive and constructive, understand what is relevant and address it.

    Give regular positive feedback – Positive feedback is one of the most important tools you have in your management toolbox. Be sure to give to all your employees regular, positive feedback and make negative feedback constructive to motivate the person to change.

    Address conflict in the team – Avoid pushing conflict under the carpet. Bring it out into the open with relevant parties and get commitment to change. Conflict in the workplace causes those not involved to either discuss it in the corridor, thus becoming involved and adding fuel to the fire, or to withdraw. Both strategies are unhelpful to maintaining a productive environment and healthy teamwork.

    Dare to ask employees how they are doing – Asking this question will build trust and an open environment to discuss things that might be causing difficulty and therefore stress. When asking this question be sure to listen to the answer! Not listening may make the matter worse.

    Follow up – Show your interest in your employees by following up on conversations and changes as a result of those conversations. This shows respect to your employees and shows that you really care.

    In summary – a toxic work environment is caused by many factors. Living with it is not necessary and therefore be prepared to address it one way or another with the relevant parties. If you are a manager and leader, have close contact with your employees to know what aspects of the job might be causing too much stress and loss of productivity and then to proactively do something about it before complaining and unhappiness contribute to making a toxic work environment.

  • The Impact of Employee Health and Wellbeing on Your Bottom Line?

    Working with individuals on work-life balance, as well as with groups, I am seeing more and more people with adrenal stress, very often caused by stress from work.  Reasons for the stress vary, however these can be self inflicted, such as wanting to be a perfectionist, the inability to say “no”, poor time management, inability to delegate as well as procrastination by putting things off.  As for external factors that might cause stress, the first one springing to mind is living in a blame culture, thus creating an environment of fear.  Inappropriate leadership styles and habits such as a boss who doesn’t listen, a manipulative leader who can only influence by using manipulation techniques, a boss who lives in crisis due to poor planning and time management or a boss who is unable to communicate effectively, practicing chameleon type behaviours, swinging from one mood to the next.

    The Health & Safety Executive estimated that 31.2 million working days were lost due to work-related ill health and non-fatal workplace injuries in 2016/17.  25.7 million were due to work-related ill health!  Adrenal fatigue is when the adrenal system struggles to maintain homeostatic balance, leading to depletion and dysregulation of the adrenal glands and Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis after a long period of emotional stress or chronic illness.  Adrenal stress, due to fatigue presents in different ways.  Early signs might be intermittent lack of energy, low motivation and poor sleep.  More advanced stages will include these and other symptoms, such as nights sweats, brain fog, lack of energy to do anything, headaches, poor functioning immune system, resulting in colds and flu, as well as cravings for carbohydrate foods and stimulants such as coffee, chocolate and fizzy drinks all giving that quick, short lived, hit or energy boost. (http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm) 

    Is management of stress a function of leadership?  One could argue that this is personal and thus individual to each person to manage themselves effectively in order to manage what life throws at them, and therefore not under the leadership role or umbrella.  However, if work-days are being lost from absenteeism due to overload and stress, it becomes every leader’s concern and issue.  Therefore, is it better to manage the situation before it gets to this stage or wait until the person gets sick and submits a doctor’s note?