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Tag: Leadership

  • Could your leadership be causing mental ill health

    This blog takes the form of a case study that encompasses both my professional roles as a healthcare practitioner and corporate wellbeing training provider. The aim of the case study is to encourage you to decide, for yourself, what could have been done differently.

    The client in question, is a lady late 50’s who was employed by a high school as the assistant director of the school, a job she has been doing for some years already while also continuing to teach the pupils an academic subject. An active person who was working long hours every day, five days a week in school and some part of her personal time to catch up, mark papers and do other administrative tasks, she seldom did less than a 10-hour day. Her husband also works, and her children are also of working age.

    About 3 years ago, as a part of some kind of change in status and re-organisation of the school, all teachers were asked to re-apply for their jobs to continue employment at that school. Each teacher would be hired based on the new requirements. My client was not re-hired, nor was she given an explanation as to why, she was simply told that her job was no longer needed as of tomorrow. No redundancy payment was offered. That would be a dramatic shock for most of us. Lack of appreciation, feedback and thanks would make anyone angry, likely followed by sadness at having the job and career you love crudely removed with no further contact. From May to September of that year she did not feel well, she lost interest and enthusiasm for life, but tried to regain this by taking up a role as a volunteer in a local charity shop.

    At a similar time, her father died during Covid and this seemed to tip her over the edge into mental illness, specifically severe depression combined with anxiety. Her father also suffered from depression and anxiety. She stated that she remembers shaking uncontrollably at the loss of her father, and perhaps to this day has not yet come to terms with this loss through the normal grieving process.

    Certainly, we can debate if how she lost her job was according to the law? That is not the purpose of this blog and therefore we will avoid going down that route. The client is now on four medications for anxiety and depression, some of which are also negatively affecting hair growth, leading to an increase in hair loss. In addition, she is putting on weight, both of which negatively impact how she feels about herself. Her quality of sleep is poor due to twitching caused by one of the medications she is taking. To aid sleep she has been subscribed Zopiclone, a common sleep medication which can cause drowsiness during the day. In her own words, she “has no reason to get out of bed and most of the time feels blank and tense,” therefore can spend the whole day in bed sleeping with no desire to get out of bed. In order to end this cycle, she tried to commit suicide. Luckily, she was not successful.

    She had her gall bladder removed approximately 10 years ago and despite this has no  difficulty in digesting most foods. However, looking at this energetically, the gall bladder – “How can you have the gall to……?” is a representation of rage, extreme anger that has been suppressed within the body, ultimately damaging the functioning of the gall bladder until such time as it has to be surgically removed. This is an example of how suppressed negative emotions manifest on the physical level to show us what it is we need to deal with. Does removal of the gall bladder mean we have dealt with these negative emotions, or do they still remain in the body as the person’s behavioural pattern remains the same?

    She is under the guidance of the mental health team in her area, but at best is staying numb to life, at worst is not living. After several years of guidance from this team, she and her husband, whose life has also been tipped upside down, decided to try something different and on recommendation from one of their friends who was treated successfully for similar conditions, have sought a health consultation with me. The main goals for treatment are:

    • To get better from severe depression and anxiety to live her life as before.
    • To improve her quality of life and reduce medications.

    This gives you the background of this client. Now look at this situation from a leadership perspective and answer the following questions:

    1. How did this person end up with severe depression and anxiety when previously she was a capable, active woman who up until losing her job we can assume was able to take responsibility and get things done?

    2.  What role did the school management team/leadership play in what this lady is today?

    3. What could have been done differently from those responsible to lessen the emotional impact on this individual anticipating that redundancy for anyone is often a shock?

    4. Why is thoughtful, nurturing leadership of others so very important?

    5. How can leaders balance a nurturing style of leadership with accomplishment of organisation goals? (A school is also an organisation)

    6. What are the key things for the leadership team to learn from this case?

    7. What have you learned from this case about how you address difficult, possibly life changing situations from this case. 

    If you feel affected by this case study then you maybe interested in this new course on how to lead compassionate conversations. 

  • Dancing on the Same Spot?

    “There is more to life than just increasing its speed.”  Gandhi

    Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with your workload and issues in your personal life, that you don’t know where to start?  Consequently, you find yourself dancing on the same spot, further increasing your heartbeat, cortisol and stress levels?

    That’s exactly where I have been recently, procrastinating and putting off my actions instead of beginning the process of  “Eating into the Elephant”.   I cleaned out the kitchen cupboard, wrote a couple of birthday cards, cleaned the download box in my computer, invited my neighbour round for coffee and generally filled my day with low value tasks and tasks that were not even included on my list of things to be done!   By the end of the day totally exhausted and even more stressed because I realized that I had just wasted a whole day procrastinating!

    How do you get off that same spot before you wear a hole in the carpet or run out of time?   Focus on reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed.   Eating the elephant whole is not possible, so do it in bite size pieces keeping in mind the overall goal of eating the whole elephant.  The following three steps helped me:

    1.  Create a “To Do” list – I took everything that I have to do out of my head and put it to paper.  Seeing the tasks rather than just thinking about them had a calming effect.  All of a sudden things became more manageable as I could see what was important, evaluate approximate time needed and understand the urgency of each one.

    Picking out the one that is most likely to take the largest junk of time, even though it was not the task with the closest deadline, created further calm – giving space for thinking as well as writing, creating and doing.  (If a deadline had been really close, I would have started with that task instead.)

    2.  Using the most productive part of my day for the most brain-oriented task was also helpful.  We all have biorhythms which when we understand our own biorhythmic pattern can use this to our advantage to do the most intense, difficult or demanding item on the list when our biorhythm is at its most energy dense and when having less energy, for example after lunch, using that time to clean out under the kitchen sink (if you really must!), update client files, enter data etc.  This means the lower energy time can still be put to good use, but does not take so much effort or brainpower from an already low energy time in the day.  Overall result – higher productivity, and less anxiety!

    3.  Applying Pareto Law of 80/20 helped eat into several tasks at the same time, whilst also ensuring I was working on the most important tasks on the list.  Twenty percent of my activities, achieved eighty percent of the results, as it would likely yours

    Enjoy your dance, put in the rhythm and steps that stop you from dancing on the same spot and procrastinating. Work smarter, not harder.

  • Depression, physical activity and performance – is there a link?

    What would happen to a dog if you kept it inside, gave it water and fed it processed foods while providing a nice bed in front of the television or other electronic device, only letting it out for a few minutes several times a day to do the obvious?

    The answer I believe, is predictable – The dog would soon become miserable, overweight and perhaps even aggressive. In the western world, this is exactly what we do to ourselves – feed ourselves on instant, very often highly processed foods, sit in front of the TV or other device to entertain ourselves and only go outside on the occasion that requires we go from A to B or need to do some shopping (which we can now order in!), or another chore. Why do we wonder that chronic ill health is escalating, as is mental ill-health – anxiety, depression, low mood, and lack of energy amongst the list of symptoms and conditions.

    How can we unravel this state of affairs?

    The answer to that question is complex, and as we are all individual, the approach will be unique to each person. However, let’s make a start by looking at something as simple as movement and exercise and the difference it can make to mood, anxiety and depression. As a naturopathic practitioner, I recommend to clients on a regular basis to get outside into mother nature and to bring some form of exercise into their routine that will get them moving. The type of activity advised carefully depending on the situation of the client, symptoms and overall wellbeing. It can be anything from walking, swimming, and dance, to yoga, stretching, Pilates and Tai Chi. Many of which can be practiced in the great outdoors.

    From my own experience, I know that physical activity makes a difference to how I feel, how the day unfolds, as well as the tone and flexibility of my body, even if when I’m on my way to the gym and really don’t feel like going, that when I’ve finished my session that I feel so much more energetic and positive.

    I was very proud the other day when challenged to touch my toes that I was able to touch the floor with relative ease when my teenage godson, 40 years my junior, could barely get passed his knees!  Not sure whether his performance has encouraged him to work on flexibility as well as building muscle strength or whether his mood was affected when he realised the current state of his body is well below optimal when in his teenage years. It showed that we can’t take for granted that a younger body is naturally subtle; it takes movement and practice to achieve this.

    A recent research article published in Jama in 2022, “Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Depression. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” published using the research of numerous scientists, indicates that whilst it is difficult to draw this association, 15 prospective studies showed a greater risk of depression in those that have lower exposure to exercise. Adults doing the equivalent of 2.5 hours a week of brisk walking had a lower risk of depression compared with those adults who reported no physical activity. That means that on five days of the week, 30 minutes of exercise and brisk movement can dramatically impact mood and lower the risk of depression.

    The sample size for each study was 3000+ participants over a period of 3 years or more and was based on leisure-time physical activity, either alone or combined with other activity domains such as housework and getting to and from work. Approximately 64% of participants were women and included six studies in the USA, six from Europe, one from Australia and Japan and one study that included India, Ghana, Mexico and Russia. The conclusion of the meta-analysis found an association between physical activity and incident depression and assuming lack of exercise as the causality, 1 in 9 cases of depression might have been prevented if everyone was active in line with public health recommendations. Public health recommendations suggest that 30 minutes of physical activity on all or most days of the week, even if undertaken in brief repeated episodes, is beneficial for health.

    In 2019 depression was the leading cause of mental ill health-related diseases and a major cause of disability worldwide, affecting approximately 280 million people and accounting for more than 47 million disability-adjusted life years in 2019. These figures are pre-Covid and, therefore, reasonable to assume that this figure has increased due to fear, isolation and loneliness as a result of lockdown. In fact, 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.

    What is the cost to your organisation not only in loss of revenue but also in levels of service, morale and medical aid costs if the individual is provided company medical aid?

    • Depression makes it difficult for employees to focus and engage with their day-to-day tasks. As a result, it lowers their productivity and contributes to the cost of presenteeism
    • The effects of depression can also be so severe that employees find it difficult to go to work at all. 
    • Despite nearly 1 in 5 employees reporting a current mental health diagnosis, less than 1 in 10 are currently seeking support for their mental health. Just under a third of employees have previously received support for their mental health and 61% of employees have never received support for their mental health. (Champion Health

    “Workplace depression is responsible for 109 million lost working days in the UK every year, at a cost of £9 billion to organisations,” according to Champion Health UK.

    Mental ill health including depression are complex, multi layered conditions that require attention on all layers, including addressing the emotional foundation through an approach such as counselling, addressing lifestyle changes that are contributing to mental ill health, diet and nutrition as well as movement and exercise that is in the form of leisure exercise and not simply about things that have to be done around the house, getting to and from work, and other daily chores.

    How easy is it for you as an organisation and employer to encourage support for those struggling with mental ill health to speak out and admit they are struggling and need help? To achieve recommendation of exercising 30 minutes a day, is it possible for employees take some form of exercise as part of the working day, irrelevant of their location which is considered an essential aspect of the working day and part of the company culture? Below are some suggestions that might easily be added into a typical working day:

    • Hold meetings while walking, preferably outside
    • Allocate a couple of time slots each day for exercise and movement, for example 30 minutes of Tai Chi, Yoga or Qi gong in an outside area to encourage employees to take a break from computers, from equipment and enjoy exposure to “mother nature” and not only move, but also focus on breathing techniques which is a fabulous way to reduce anxiety and stress. If you don’t have the luxury of an outdoor area, these activities can also be done inside. Doing exercise together in a group adds the additional dimension of fun and support.
    • Provide showering facilities for those who use bicycle or run or walk to work or for those that want to do these or similar activities at some point during the working day, but who hold back because there are no facilities when they can freshen up.
    • Dedicate an area for movement and exercise that might include table tennis tables and other options for those that wish to be a little more competitive when exercising.
    • If you have a multi-floor office, stop the possibility to access an escalator from the different floors, instead encouraging all to use the stairs.
    • Organise 30-minute dance classes or simply a room with music to stimulate the joy of dancing and free movement
    • Sponsor a time slot at the local swimming pool for your employees a couple times a week.
    • Have a “bring your dog to work day” once a month, to encourage walking at break times
    • Create a “mood” room that allows for free flow movement and creative dance.
    • Create a 10-minute system, whereby for 10 minutes in every 90 minutes everyone stops to stretch away from their desk.

    These suggestions are by no means exhaustive. What you can do to support your employees to remain mentally and physically well will depend on the type of business, the available space and the desire of top management to breed and live such a culture that embraces mental and physical health. Research has shown the direct link between exercise and mental ill health, therefore proactively building a policy into your organisation to minimise mental ill health, can only be a “winner” for employees, employers and all the organisation stakeholders when presenteeism decreases, absence and sickness (mental and physical) decreases and productivity and performance improves.

    While there is more to consider when treating mental ill-health, being proactive and minimising the risk of it developing in the first place is common sense. Putting practices in place to “breed” a healthy workplace, starting from the top and rolling it down is definitely easier and more cost-effective receiving a good return on investment through stable productivity, minimal illness and presenteeism, good staff morale and overall performance that results in bottom line success.=

    References:  

    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter-Reaburn/publication/269598423_The_mental_health_benefits_of_regular_physical_activity_and_its_role_in_preventing_future_depressive_illness/links/5539aa010cf226723aba31ea/The-mental-health-benefits-of-regular-physical-activity-and-its-role-in-preventing-future-depressive-illness.pdf

    Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Depression A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Matthew Pearce, PhD; Leandro Garcia, PhD; Ali Abbas, PhD, et al https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2790780

    https://www.ioshmagazine.com/2022/04/11/pandemic-responsible-25-increase-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide-who-study-finds

    https://championhealth.co.uk/insights/depression-statistics/#:~:text=52%25%20of%20employees%20are%20experiencing,currently%20seeking%20mental%20health%20support

  • Are Leaders Born or Made?

    “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one that does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”  Ronald Reagan

    The question of whether leaders are born or can be made through learning and development is a question that is very often asked. This blog will explore the relationship between being a natural born leader, which certainly many people are, as well as learning the skills of an effective leader.

    Working on the premise that leadership is influencing others to want to do their job while management, also very important is getting the job done through others, the differentiating factor we could argue is how we influence those who work with us to want to do their job, to love doing their job, and to do it well on a consistent basis.

    What makes an individual want to do and love their job? Initial motivation to get out of bed in the morning has to be the responsibility of the individual, as does the positivity and excitement to turn up for work. The question then is what makes the experience between someone who turns up for work because they need the money and someone who wants to be there, enjoy the daily challenges as well as the regular tasks and duties that are a part of all roles. The answer lies in looking at the importance of colleagues who we associate with and enjoy working with as well as the person that we report to and who guides us while bringing out the best in each person. That manager and leader builds motivation and commitment in each unique individual to inspire them to want to as well as to love, coming to work. The person that builds a positive, fun climate in order to deliver peak performance.

    Characteristics and skills of an effective leader include, but may not be limited to:

    Honesty and integrity saying what you will do and doing it, being true to and keeping to your word, being consistent with those you lead and not treating one person more favourably than the other. As well as being consistent in all your actions and behaviours. Operating with high levels of personal integrity.

    Openness – being open to share feedback, both positive and constructive negative feedback while also showing vulnerabilities and encouraging and allowing others to also be open to share, to provide their feedback to you as well as other team members.

    Positivity – irrelevant of what is happening to find the upsides without being unrealistic. Remaining upbeat despite challenges and difficulties, not pulling yourself and others down.

    Ability to listen – perhaps the most critical of all the characteristics and skills of a leader. Taking time to hear others, being fully present and not necessarily finding a solution for that person’s plight, but simply listening and showing that you care. Listening is also important when it comes to listening to oneself. Knowing how you feel and acknowledging that. Addressing issues without taking them out on those you lead. Giving out the message that you are here, present and available while being able to show self-compassion and compassion for others.

    Humility – not being afraid to show your humble side. Just because you have been given the role and the job description, does not mean that you have to have all the answers. It is fine to say, “I don’t know what to do in this situation, does anyone else have any ideas?”

    Desire to see others grow and develop – Wanting to keep everything within your control only serves to stifle growth and development of both yourself and others. Trusting colleagues to deliver gives freedom to make decisions, freedom to experiment and try without fear of reprisal if it all goes wrong. Using these opportunities for assisting learning and development builds trust.

    Learning mentality – Leaders who do not have a learning mentality for themselves as well as others, will soon reach their ceiling of growth and be left behind.

    Trust – trusting yourself and trusting others creates an atmosphere of positivity, wanting to learn, confidence to take on something new and address challenges, ultimately leading to positive and constructive feedback and delegation of authority to create autonomy within the workforce. It takes time to earn trust which is an accumulation of all the little things that you do and say.

    Purpose and vision – Has a clear vision and knows their own purpose, why he or she is in the position of a leader, while also being clear about the purpose and direction of the organisation or department and is able to share that purpose and vision with others in order to build commitment.

    Self-care – Each one of us has a responsibility to ourselves firstly to ensure we are full of wellness and vitality through respect for mind, body and soul. Vitality is not just about regularly going to a gym, jogging, swimming or playing tennis it is much broader than that. Focusing only on the physical aspects of ourselves, failing to address the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects that are often the foundation to wellness and who we are, what we are experiencing and how we show up and contribute to this the world means we are addressing 25% of what contributes to wellness, vitality and general wellbing.

    Looking around the world at our “global” leaders, those nominated to lead a country, I struggle to find many of these skills and characteristics. Is it a surprise that governments are in disarray? I won’t take your time or energy to pick those apart that regularly feature in our media, sadly for the wrong reasons, I’ll leave you to do that using the above points. What went wrong in our systems? At this time, I cannot find a reasonable answer. Is it a reflection of our education system, upbringing, life experiences or culture? Probably a bit of each.

    Returning to the main question of can you learn to be an effective leader?  Do you learn integrity, honesty, how to trust and how to listen, are these characteristics and skills acquired somehow, or are you simply born with them? Integrity and honesty come from one’s upbringing while the ability to listen effectively and provide feedback are skills that can be learned if a person is interested while being given the experience of a wonderful role model in one or several job roles, through a family member or other role model who is closely followed.

    Developing your managers to become effective leaders is never too late. Giving them the skills to perform well, nurture individuals and teams to build commitment, encourage growth and development of others, while developing themselves is critical not only to the individual, but to the business as a whole. Without an effective leadership team, your ship is sailing without a rudder. It is like setting sail with all the bells and whistles, latest technology, fantastic systems, luxurious interior design, as did the Titanic when she set sail on April 10, 1912. Investing in development of your leadership team, irrelevant of seniority, makes sound, financial sense.

    If you want to optimise your leadership skills or develop the leadership skills of a manager then please drop me an email to rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com or book a zoom call.

  • Are You Educating Your Female Workforce On How To Manage Their Performance Through Menopause?

    A recent headline “Menopause is forcing women to retire early” written in an article by Caitlin Powell on 7 December, got me thinking about this statement.

    Firstly, no one forces you to retire irrelevant of the symptoms you might be suffering whether menopause related or otherwise. In fact, no one forces you to do anything as there is always an element of personal choice. Retirement might be a choice that is arrived at through discussion with an employer, due to some work-related issues, but at the end of the day, each one of us decides our own journey.

    Andy Briggs, the government’s champion for older workers, told the Mail on Sunday, “To leave the workplace in your fifties – when we know that you’re far less likely than someone younger to return to work – has a huge impact on your retirement income.”  This comment further highlights the fact, that women can make their own choice about when they retire and can seek help for the natural body changes that menopause brings to all women at some stage in their life.

    It is common knowledge that nearly 4 million women who are in employment in the UK are aged between 45 and 55.  Women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing workforce segment. As the average age to experience menopause is 51-52 in the Western world, it is expected that peri-menopause starts around the age of 45-46, with changes to their menstruation cycle. Transitioning through menopause can take up to 10 years. This is a long time to be suffering from symptoms such as brain fogginess, lack of concentration, hot flushes, poor sleep, irritability and lethargy, all of which often contribute to poor performance. Therefore, one could say “quite rightly that organisations encourage women to retire when performance is greatly reduced.”

    This workforce segment is important to the labour market, it is important to companies and to women themselves. Social programming might want us to believe that menopause is the end of life for women. This is not true. Menopause is a natural change in the female body, male body also during andropause, and can be extremely liberating, with minimal interruptions to work-life integration and overall wellbeing.

    Why is it that some women sail through menopause and others suffer from many of the symptoms mentioned above?

    Most of us prepare for our older age and our retirement, menopause can be considered a part of that and women can prepare for this in order to limit the negative impact of these natural body changes. Taking a brief look at a 1987 study conducted with 13,996 Japanese women the results concluded that:

    • “Studies and anecdotal evidence show that after their last menstrual period and the onset of menopause, American women and other ethnicities have a worse experience than Japanese women.
    • Japanese women have less severe hot flashes/flushes, insomnia, night sweats, joint pain, urine leakage, and increased heart rate.  They generally also have fewer symptoms.
    • Plus, they have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and brain cancer.”

    Are You Educating Your Female Workforce On How To Manage Their Performance Through Menopause?This study pointed out that this is not about genetics, it is about the differences in diet and the main differences are lack of or no wheat and dairy in the Japanese diet, as well as the inclusion of soy and soy products.  As the average menopausal woman produces less estrogen, soy helps to balance the body during the changes. As soy contains isoflavones, they work like estrogen, albeit in a much weaker manner. With a healthy portion of soy in your diet, you can effectively prevent the worst that menopause presents.

    5 Key points for limiting the negative impact on personal performance during menopause

    These points can be implemented not only to transition smoothly through this period, but also will help with overall health.

    1. Nutrition and Hydration

    Limit the amount of wheat or remove wheat from your diet.

    Eat the rainbow every day in fruit and vegetables and include a minimum of 10 per day to increase fibre, vitamins and mineral intake.

    Include soy and soy products in your diet on a daily basis (with caution if you are suffering thyroid issues). Protect bone density with Vitamin D3.

    Limit convenience foods which are full of preservatives, “E’s” and other additives as they exacerbate hot flushes, brain fog and poor sleep by choking up the liver. Instead cook from fresh ingredients and choose a salad or soup over a sandwich and fizzy drink at lunch time.

    Keep hydrated. Many of our body systems require water to function including the blood, removal of waste from the cells, digestion, brain function and so on. Providing water stations in the office can go a long way to helping employees keep hydrated.

    2. Movement

    The lymphatic system which is responsible for removal of toxins from the body relies on natural body movement. Lack of exercise, whether walking, tennis, football, cycling or any other sport decreases lymphatic drainage, therefore the level of toxicity within the body increases. Help your body and mind to function well with gentle movement on a daily basis.

    3. Fresh Air

    Getting outside, irrelevant of the weather is so important to wellbeing overall. Oxygenating the blood and boosting endorphins, the feel-good factor, fresh air helps to calm the central nervous system, de-stress the mind and aid performance. As a leader, encourage your female and male team members to go outside in their lunch break as this is one of the best gifts you can give them.  It clears the head, helps with de-stressing mind and body and aids performance, increasing productivity on return to your work place.

    4. Resilience and Stress Management

    We assume that stress is something that comes from an external source. That is mostly true. However, each one of us has a choice on how we manage external stressors and therefore how they impact internally, including being assertive to voice our opinions, being assertive to say “No” when the system is already on “overload”, taking time out when things become overwhelming. Cutting out “me” time on a regular basis, eating mindfully as opposed to grabbing something quickly, as well as sharing issues and worries and asking for help when we need it, all impact whether we internalise stresses.

    Stressors are not only things that we see and experience such as conflict, lack of openness and trust, financial issues etc, but toxins in the air, water and foods that we breathe eat and drink, all add stress. Electromagnetic frequencies that we all live in due to our wifi driven world affects the signalling in both body and mind and has direct impact on how we sleep. When menopausal the body is more sensitive to these frequencies, further contributing to poor sleep. Create EMF down time and switch off wifi at night.

    5. Sleep

    Sleep is essential and due to hormonal changes, it tends to suffer creating a vicious cycle of not sleeping, waking exhausted, then dealing with a stressful lifestyle and work life, gorging on foods that give a quick energy boost just to get through the day.  Each time the boost wears off it leads to a lower low, and so the cycle goes on creating in its wake poor memory, brain fogginess, adrenal stress and headaches.  Improving sleep quality goes a long way to supporting women going through perimenopause and menopause. The practice of a regular sleep-wake cycle is very beneficial for most of us, perhaps more so for women who are menopausal. Getting to bed at a regular time and waking at the same regular time is important and using the natural rhythm of nature to be in bed before 11pm and up eight hours later, will help improve sleep. That in turn tones down how we react to stressful situations and work demands, limiting any negative impact on performance.

    Educating your male and female workforce in the topic of menopause and providing supportive leadership and direction, will ensure you keep your female workforce through the transition and out the other side. That to me looks like a win-win for everyone!

    For more information on our course “The Impact of Menopause on Performance,” contact on 01235 639 430 or rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com

  • Are You Engaging Your Employees?

    The human body is a complex structure with many integrated systems that work in harmony. The heart is the conductor of the orchestra connecting organs and systems with the arteries and the veins. Taking this analogy and applying it to an organisation, is there any difference? The heart of the organisation is the culture, the values and the conductor the CEO, General Director or senior board. The arteries and veins, the life blood of the organisation – the employees. Extending this thought, would you cut your own artery or vein or deliberately block or fur up the system?

    Why then do we so often “cut” off or “block” our employees the very arteries and veins of any business through inadequate leadership practices, lack of direction, training, empowerment and engagement?

    How often do you hear someone say or read a phrase with the term “engage employees”? We need to engage our employees, increase engagement, measure the engagement of our employees and so on. Clearly something in these phrases is very important to business performance. Anne M. Mulcahy, former chairperson and CEO of Xerox, once said, “Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.”

    Truly engaging employees results in creating the right atmosphere, conditions, and morale for all members of an organisation to give of their best each day, not because they have to but because they want to.  It means employees are committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute in building customer loyalty and to organisational success, with an enhanced sense of their personal wellbeing. 

    How come then the 2022 Gallup poll found that 69% of employees are disengaged? Is this a coincidence or is there something reflecting how employees are truly feeling having been “forced” to work from home irrelevant of space, conditions and family environment and in many instances feeling pressurized to return to the workplace? Is it about the lack of human contact, lack of input from leadership on a human level, turning calls and virtual meetings into a “business-only” platform which is the equivalent of only having blood flow through the arteries with no return to the heart via the veins.

    Engagement, as Anne Mulcahy said is about the whole person, we cannot expect full and complete performance if an employee is engaged with only the left brain. We might use the analogy of looking at employee engagement like looking at a person who has a disease. If you only treat the symptoms by looking at that condition you may relieve the pain, the feelings of indigestion, drowsiness, blood-sugar dysregulation or other, but once you stop with the intervention, whatever that may be, the pain returns. Why therefore with employee engagement do our systems look at measuring performance without measuring wellbeing of each person? The all-too-common KPI’s, objectives and quantative and qualitative goals. How about using the system you already have to support holistic wellbeing as well as to engage your employees? Achievement of a KPI does not necessarily mean employees are engaged.

    Wellbeing is measured in so many ways – mental, physical, social, emotional and spiritual. Should you only measure wellbeing with one of two of these dimensions, you are cutting off several systems that work in tandem. In other words, if one system is out of whack, just as in the body, it will affect other systems either through over-compensation or under-performance. Wellbeing is holistic for each individual as well as for the organisation. If you only recognise and reward achievement, you are limiting overall performance. An easy way of putting that is if you are happy that goals and objectives are achieved according to the KPI’s how do you know what you are missing if everyone in your team would feel secure, valued, nurtured and is able to embrace opportunities for development, what would the result be? The synergy it would create, the outstanding performance, happy, loyal employees and customers, motivation to want to be at work and inspiration to be the best version of what each one can be. Engagement is the arteries and veins that feed the rest of the organisation.

    Engaging employees in their work, the company culture and values is the responsibility of leaders within each organisation. In other words – creating the right environment, genuinely valuing contributions from each employee, building trust, nurturing relationships, and being authentic and transparent.  Leadership behaviour is itself driven by the organisation culture and company values.  The old saying of “the fish stinks from the head down” adequately sums up the need to ensure all levels of management lead by example and roll down wellbeing which drives performance.

    Engagement can be measured in different ways.  However, to be effective it is likely that the process is continuous and uses a combination of ways, such as:

    • Anonymous wellbeing surveys to get credible feedback that leads to relevant changes.
    • Exit interviews – taking the time to really find out why an employee is leaving is critical to reflecting on what can be done better. However, note conducting an exit interview when an employee who has been “used” to achieve KPI’s may not get the result you are looking for.
    • One-to-ones with managers work very well when there is an atmosphere of trust.  Without trust, it will bring limited results at best.
    • Customer satisfaction ratings – The customer is the one who truly bears the brunt of poor employee engagement, experiencing service performance with a “don’t care” attitude. Hearing about customer experiences is a very important gauge whilst also providing pointers for improvement. Asking for customer feedback via surveys has become the norm in many companies. I often wonder how the information is used, especially when nothing changes? Perhaps picking up the phone to gain verbal feedback would be more valuable?

    How can management influence engagement levels? 

    Again, there is no one answer, there are several answers and in reality a combination of different actions are needed to positively influence engagement of each and every employee. First begin with the management team to ensure they are confident and able to lead others effectively. Then:

    • Give employees the chance to do quality work.
    • Maintain a positive work culture.
    • Get employee “buy-in”.
    • Invite and listen carefully to employee feedback.
    • Communicate expectations clearly to employees.
    • Encourage employee collaboration and teamwork.
    • Build an open environment through authenticity, fairness and trust.
    • Give positive feedback and praise employees for their performance.
    • Train and coach to develop potential in each employee.
    • Praise for showing up as their best self.

    It makes sense that employee engagement is part of the core business strategy. Engagement on a consistent basis will pay dividends in increasing productivity, and profitability.  The workplace will be a happier place to be and consequently increase pride and enjoyment in doing quality work, serving customers, as well as succeeding in achieving department and company goals. At that point it is unlikely that you will need to be concerned about the life-blood of your organisation as “blood” will be flowing freely without blockages or obstacles.

    Green Key Personal Development is able to provide you with all the tools necessary to optimise your employee engagement. It’s important that you don’t wait for something to break before investing a few pounds per employee. The time to act is now. Book a no obligation discovery call today. https://calendly.com/greenkey/pd-consultation-meeting?

  • 5 Steps to Drive Employee Engagement

    We might ask the question who is responsible for engagement of employees and their development? On the one hand that responsibility can be given to line managers and on the other to employees themselves. Or you might take the other tack of putting the responsibility firmly on the shoulders of Human Resources or Learning and Development specialists. Perhaps the answer lies with all parties taking their fair share of creating, ensuring and committing to engaging for the purpose of driving development and ultimately performance of the individual, team and organisation?

    Personal development, unlike a Michelin star, goes with the individual wherever he or she goes, it does not stay with the organisation that was instrumental in instigating that development. Therefore, you might ask: “What is the point of developing employees if they are going to leave anyway?” Believe it or not I still hear this question far too often! If every organisation and individual is actively engaged in personal development which at the time benefits the organisation in which they are working, then when they leave, the replacement if from outside the organisation will also have a certain level of professionalism, knowledge and skills in their sphere of expertise. Consequently, circulating individuals who are inspired to learn and to engage in their own personal development will not only give to and benefit their new employer, but also keep that employer on their toes to provide further opportunities for development and growth. But as we all know, growth and development do not come without engagement.

    Breaking this down – engagement in the workplace means the absence of presenteeism. It means employees who embrace their role and their responsibilities within that role and are motivated and committed emotionally by what they are doing as well as the opportunities and challenges that present within the role, as well as opportunities to take on other roles whether in the short or long term. As Kevin Kruse, Founder+CEO of www.LEADx.org, wrote in Forbes Daily “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.”

    “This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company. They don’t work just for a salary, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organization’s goals.” Invariably this means that an engaged employee will go that extra mile if needed, they will step in willingly during difficult times, work overtime without being asked and generally hold the interest of the company at the forefront of what they do in their role.

    According to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace Report, 2021, “only 21% of employees are engaged at work. Even outside of work, only a third of the people making up our organizations feel like they are thriving.  This low engagement isn’t an overhyped narrative — Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy nearly 8 trillion USD.”

    McKinsey surveyed over 13,000 workers across the globe for their Great Attrition, Great Attraction 2.0 report, with 45% of respondents having quit or planning to quit over the past year. The top five reasons for quitting show clearly that the inability to retain talent is a direct result of high job demand that is “supported” by inadequate, uncaring and poor leadership that is compounded by inadequate compensation and lack of opportunities for development:

    • Lack of career development and advancement: 41%
    • Inadequate total compensation: 36%
    • Uncaring and uninspiring leaders: 34%
    • Lack of meaningful work: 31%
    • Unsustainable expectations: 29%

    Perhaps there is a hesitancy amongst HR professionals and top leadership to hire in this current climate with the expectation that the UK and perhaps the world, is facing a recession. Surely then if this is true, retention through active engagement has to be the answer? What are some of the ways that employee retention and engagement can be improved? In no order of importance as they are all interconnected, but together make a huge difference to how employees feel and how emotionally engaged they are within their role and the organisation as a whole:

    1. Engage managers and develop leaders

    If managers are not satisfied with what they are doing, it is unlikely that they will inspire others. Start with manager engagement and develop their commitment through knowing their needs, providing support and offering development to support their personal goals as well as the goals of the organisation.  Effective leaders require autonomy. If your organisation expects leadership to follow a set of rules without questioning, without application of personal knowledge and skill, combined with extreme pressure to deliver, perhaps it is not leadership that you are requiring?

     2. Show interest by following up regularly with employees

    There is a big difference between a bot or robot and a human. Humans require recognition for who they are and what they contribute. All managers and leaders should know their team members and be able to relate to them on a personal basis as well as job-related basis. This shows they have a personal interest in the welfare of their team members and show that they are valued. Employees who do not get the necessary recognition to feel valued for their contribution will most certainly look elsewhere.

     3. Give positive feedback and recognise improvement

    It is so easy to see and find someone doing something wrong – in fact is it human nature to notice what is not right as opposed to what is right. Find employees and team members doing things right, recognise their improvements, however small, to encourage more of the same behaviour. Employees who feel valued will undoubtedly become engaged.

     4. Listen to your employees

    Listening is the greatest gift one individual can give another. Managers, peers and colleagues who are unable to truly listen to others are missing out on the opportunity to show interest, connect emotionally, respond to thoughts, ideas and suggestions and demonstrate that they value their input whether implemented or not. Listening empathetically helps build emotional connection which in turn builds trust and confidence in one another.

     5. Plan for career development and advancement

    As seen in the McKinsey survey 41% of employees lacked engagement and left their organisations in search of a position elsewhere because of lack of career development and opportunity. 31% because of lack of meaningful work. Not everyone wants to become General Director, CEO or Group HR Director.  It is human nature to want to improve ourselves and if an organisation, department or team is unable to provide adequate opportunity to learn new skills and gain new knowledge, experience different roles, grow the level of responsibility and increase autonomy, then seriously the leadership of that organisation needs to look in the mirror and question themselves honestly and openly as to why employees are lacking engagement and worse still looking elsewhere for new positions.

    The responsibility for employee engagement falls squarely on the shoulders of leadership within each organisation to develop a culture that truly cares for their workforce, wants and aims to have each employee grow hand in hand with the organisation.  But, more importantly ultimately wants their employees to drive the success of the organisation.

    References:

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/06/22/employee-engagement-what-and-why/?sh=148639287f37

    https://advise.gallup.com/employee-engagement?campaignid=18945816141&adgroupid=143633586437&adid=635680356857&gclid=CjwKCAjwiOCgBhAgEiwAjv5whMr9eXpYipo3ReeMZSr36ar2DHLyVLxPP25QkECaGmhj8d-0DILhGBoC_iUQAvD_BwE

    https://www.lumapps.com/resources/white-papers/attract-engage-retain-the-employee-experience-advantage/

  • 7 Simple Steps to Mental Wellbeing

    The topic of mental health was already gaining momentum in the workplace prior to the onslaught of Covid. Often looked at in binary terms of those who are healthy and those who have mental illness. The truth, however, is that mental wellness covers a huge spectrum. Even those who are “mentally healthy” can still improve their mental wellness. Is your mental wellness solely your responsibility or does your employer have a role to play in supporting you in this area?  Without self-awareness and knowledge of how to maintain our mental health, poor mental health is something that can affect anyone of us.

    Employers certainly have a lot to gain in ensuring a healthy, happy workforce. A recent study conducted by Cary Cooper and Philip Drew of Oxford Academic, Occupational Medicine states:

    “Both the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)/AXA suggest that stress, depression and anxiety account for ∼40% and 37.5% of sickness absence, respectively, making it one of the top five major causes. The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health suggests that the proportion of sickness absence that can be attributed to mental health conditions could be as high as 44% and suggests that ‘in the absence of more detailed information’, a figure of 40% represents a good point to start from. For the UK working population, ∼175 million working days are lost each year because of sickness absence with ∼70 million days lost (40%) to mental health problems.”

    Mental ill-health covers a huge spectrum from low mood through to anxiety and depression.  Dementia and Parkinson’s are also classified under mental ill-health.  Clearly no-one wants to suffer from Dementia related diseases or Parkinson’s. Therefore, as with all health issues whether mental or physical it is wise to address them from a proactive and preventative perspective, rather than being reactive when things start to get out of hand. At that point it often requires some kind of medical intervention in an attempt to provide quality of life.

    Mental wellness is as much our responsibility as physical wellness.  Infact the two are connected.  Physical wellness achieved through a nutrient rich fresh diet, exercise, down-time and quality sleep, as well as keeping the body and mind  hydrated are also pillars to good mental health.   The binary approach of being healthy or having mental ill-health, is a reflection that we often consider mental health from a limited perspective only.  Mental ill-health is not only the responsibility of the government, charitable foundations, your local doctor and your employer, but first and foremost it starts with you.  We all need to be proactive and treat our mental and physical wellbeing with respect. In doing so, education, information and guidance from other parties does not fall on deaf ears.

    7 simple steps to mental wellbeing7 SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SUPPORT A GOOD MENTAL HEALTH

    HEALTHY GUT – HEALTHY BRAIN

    Research is plentiful on the microbiome-gut-brain axis.  When our digestion is not working well we might suffer symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, indigestion or acid reflux.  These are all indicators of an imbalance in the digestive system and that the health of your gut microbiome is suffering.  As the gut has a direct connection to the brain via the gut-brain axis, it means that when the gut is not well, your brain will also suffer.  Perhaps it will be less sharp, unable to remember information or simply foggy?  Maintaining a healthy gut flora is essential for good mental health.

    Several factors need to be considered to ensure a healthy microbiome in the gut including quality and variety of foods.  In other words, your diet needs to feed healthy gut bacteria and starve bad bacteria.  The saying “You are what you eat” speaks loud and clear.  Eating the same thing every day will not populate the gut with healthy bacteria, nor will a diet rich in processed, starchy foods, and sugar.  Key dietary strategies for good mental health include:

    • Eat a low carbohydrate, low glycemic index diet of natural foods.  Limit wheat and wheat-based products which lead to immediate feelings of satisfaction due to the sugar high you experience very soon after eating them.  However 40 minutes later this high leads to a low that results in an energy slump and brain fatigue.
    • Eat the rainbow every day in an assortment of fruit, especially berries, and vegetables (30% fruit :70% vegetables) in order to get a wide range of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.
    • Reduce exposure to pesticides, preservatives and additives by eating whole foods and organic where possible.
    • Feed the brain on a daily basis by eating foods high in essential fatty acids (EFAs).  Found in oily fish, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, these are essential for good gut and brain health.  Low fat foods seldom contain essential fatty acids and more often than not have added sugar.
    • Spice up your life by including a wide range of herbs and spices in your diet.  Both have many benefits depending on the specifics of the herb or spice.  Perhaps most importantly they provide a plethora of flavours to tantalise the taste buds and stimulate digestive enzymes aiding digestion.
    • Add fermented food and drinks to your diet.  These are packed with good bacteria and easy to include with your everyday meals.  Keffir can be a supplement for yoghurt. Kimchi makes a pleasant change as a slide dish or served with grilled meat or fish. Sauerkraut goes well on salad, in a sandwich or with cold fish or meat.  Kombucha, fermented tea comes in many flavours and can be enjoyed first thing in the morning to get the gut off to a good start or in the evening before going to bed so that it works whilst you are sleeping.

    TREAT YOUR MIND AND BODY WITH RESPECT

    In our fast-paced world we often overlook the importance of taking care of both mind and body.  In fact, we often take our health for granted, working long hours, pre-Covid in an air-conditioned environment, or converted cupboard which is the only place you can find some peace when working from home, eating a quick snack, rather focusing on the kids who need feeding whilst on break between lessons, often missing that walk outside to get some fresh air and movement that had you been in the office, would have meant that at least you would pop out quickly to the local café or supermarket to buy some lunch.

    Treat your mind and body like a temple.  Take care of yourself with the highest intentions to maintain a healthy mind and body.  Put aside “me” time to practice activities that bring inner peace and joy, such as yoga, meditation, singing and dancing.  Through joy and inner peace we raise our self-awareness of how we are feeling so that when listening to your body you can correct your lifestyle and eating habits before symptoms of ill-health start to show on the physical and/or mental levels and the damage already done.

    YOUR BRAIN IS A MUSCLE – TRAIN IT!

    The brain, as for the body requires exercise.  Work activities that challenge your comfort zone and mental constructs are all necessary to keep the brain active, but these activities need to be varied and kept within “safe” limits.  In other words, when you start to agonize over something allowing it to encroach or absorb your personal life leading to erratic behaviour, poor quality sleep and worry, it has gone out of safe limits, and you are well on the road to mental ill-health and burnout.  The importance of knowing when and how to switch off is vital for mental wellbeing and a relaxed demeanor that creates flow, enabling logical and calm thinking, whilst avoiding mental overload.

    STRIDE OUT INTO NATURE TO FILL YOURSELF UP WITH FRESH AIR AND NATURAL LIGHT

    Research around the positive impact of nature on our psychological and physical health, is on the increase. Not all of us have the benefit of a garden, but most live in an area that is close to a park, forest, river, lake or beach where we can enjoy the calming influence of mother nature.  In a 2019 study of 20,000 people, led by Dr Matthew White (European Centre for Environment & Human Health at the University of Exeter), found that people who spent two hours a week in green spaces have better health and wellbeing.  A daily dose of nature helps to regulate inner rhythm to be more in tune with your surroundings.  It helps with increasing your ability to be present rather than tied up and worried about what should be, what has still to be and what might be.  What is now, is what matters.  Mother nature also gives that feel good factor that is so important to stable mental health.

    BE MINDFUL – LIVE IN THE MOMENT

    How you are affects how you are in and with the world. Mindfulness means living in the present, not being concerned about the future or the past, but being fully present to what you are doing now, whether that is typing, doing the ironing or running.  Being mindful enables greater clarity around life and it stops you from being judgmental about yourself or others.  As the famous Jimmy Cliff song says:

    “I can see clearly now the rain is gone.

    I can see all obstacles in my way.

    Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.

    It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day”

    A recent study conducted by Oxford Mindfulness Research Centre headed “Parental mental health worse since new lockdown restrictions” states “Participating parents and carers recently reported an increase in symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, especially during the period from November to December. This reflected symptoms such as difficulty relaxing, being easily upset or agitated, feeling hopeless, and lacking interest and pleasure, feeling fearful and worried, as well as being more irritable, over-reactive and impatient. This mirrors parent and carer reports of high levels of stress and depression between April and July last year, which were followed by lower levels of these difficulties between July and September.”

    Mindfulness allows you to intentionally see and feel your own emotions, emotions of those around you and respond in a calm manner to what might be going on in yourself or others.  Living in the present creates a conscious choice of how you respond, as opposed to the “tail wagging the dog”, the “dog wags the tail” providing feelings of confidence, comfort and security. In these times of uncertainty, mindful practice is a simple practice that you can tune into at any time, providing you with positive thoughts and feelings about yourself, the situation you are in and the future.

    KEEP YOUR BRAIN AGILE

    The brain is like any other muscle in the body, it needs working to remain active and agile.  It can be mentally stimulated and kept agile through learning new things, for example taking language lessons, attending presentations and talks that stimulate your brain, and pursuing activities such as Sudoko, crosswords, playing Chess, Bridge and Scrabble.

    FORGET THE EXCUSES – TRY SOMETHING NEW AND DO IT ANYWAY!

    It is so easy to get into our comfort zone of routine, that often leads to lack of mental stimulation and isolation from others.  It has taken Covid to highlight the importance of social contact to keep us mentally stable and active, and our brains challenged through conversation.  It has taken Covid to shake our individual comfort zones and make us challenge the need to travel to go and work in an office?  The need to shop for things that soon loose popularity and end up serving no real purpose?  It has taken Covid to make each one of us reflect on how we live our lives and what is truly important.

    Whilst employers have a role to play in creating the right working environment, whether physical or virtual, to educate and train leaders to people manage and lead with empathy, to coach and nurture performance and goal achievement rather than force it, you play an enormous role in securing your own stable and healthy mental wellness that is not only able to meet the challenges of today and the future, but thrive on them. 

     

    To find out more about how Green Key can help you and your leadership journey, contact Rachel directly.

  • A Celebration of International Women

    On the 8th March to celebrate International Women’s day it is appropriate to give credit to the many female Heads of State, CEO’s, Founders, Mothers and Grandmothers. How interesting that the world has a strong representation of female leaders, 22 countries in total including New Zealand, Denmark, Bangladesh, Lithuania, Taiwan and Norway are all led by inspirational women. This is quite a sizeable representation of women in top leadership positions, some in countries that are culturally showing more masculine than feminine qualities according to the Hofstede model of Intercultural sensitivity. It is irrelevant what you think about them, but the fact is these female and other female leaders are running governments, countries and businesses in what can only be termed troubled and challenging times.  In all fairness our male leaders are not exempt from the turbulence affecting everyone across the globe.

    Erna Solberg of Norway has been Prime Minister since 2013. Greece’s President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou has been in office since March 2020, and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in office since October 2017.  These and many other women are demonstrating both success at achieving the position as well as longevity in the position.

    WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLE CHARACTERISTICS OF FEMALE LEADERSHIP? 

    A Celebration of International WomenCan we characterize these principles and definitively separate them from the principles of male leadership? Unlikely, because styles of leadership differ amongst men and women equally depending on education, experience, courage, individuality, stamina and so on.  However, when looking at women andLet us celebrate the female leaders around the world on International Women’s Day. men, there are differences and when women bring these differences into play, we might see a broader range of characteristics, showing feminine power. Many of which come naturally to women.  Again, I don’t want to say that men do not display some or all these characteristics and vice versa, but men usually display a more masculine power through male characteristics and therefore the following are more common in women, especially in female leaders.

    Common female characteristics:

    • Intuitive and sensitive, demonstrating fluid emotional intelligence
    • Ability to sense the emotion as well as see the facts in order to make decisions on both factual/logical and emotional levels
    • Goal achievement through perseverance and vision, but not at the cost of others
    • Patience and tolerance, promoting harmony and understanding
    • The ability to encourage and nurture to reveal hidden potential of those who are unable to stand up for themselves
    • Ability to forgive, let go, learn and grow
    • Fosters an environment of trust, cooperation and harmony
    • Quiet drive, courage and resilience, as opposed to power and strength
    • Ability to release own emotions to relieve tension and break stress often through crying, which in men is seen as a weakness 
    • Ability to relieve tension in a situation through empathy and understanding
    • Happy to be out of the limelight and just get on with the job 

    CONCLUSIONS OR QUESTIONS?

    Are we moving into a time when female leadership is more appropriate for the global and work-related challenges we face in today’s world – starvation, homelessness, loneliness, escalation in chronic mental and physical diseases, environmental damage on a huge scale and the ever widening gap between the exceedingly wealthy and those who earn under the minimum wage?

    I don’t know the answer to this, but I do know the questions:  How much longer can we, as human beings go on living in an environment that is under more and more control due to the poor, ignorant choices of our leadership and our own inaction?  One that we are determined to destroy through industrial farming methods, fracking that pollutes and destroys the very integrity of the earth and the finely balanced ecosystem on which we live as well as wasteful habits, all of which combined are removing the right to a heritage for generations to come?

    How long can we go on not seeing, or deliberately covering up the detrimental impact of processed, sugar laden foods on our health and the health of our children, which has manifested in serious escalation in chronic disease, obesity and stress, all of which we see in most of the English speaking world, with other countries not far behind, having adopted a Western diet?

    How long are we going to allow escalation in mental health issues to continue to rise, before taking a close look at our company cultures, leadership approach and work environments?  What might this have to do with the current pandemic?  Could there be a correlation between the number of Covid cases and deaths in countries with the highest levels of diabetes, obesity and other chronic disease?

    LET’S CELEBRATE FEMALE LEADERSHIP

    As we move into the Age of Aquarius with the spring equinox, let’s celebrate all our female leaders and leadership, not only on International Women’s day, but everyday whether Heads of State, Heads of Companies, Entrepreneurs or Mothers. The arrival of the Aquarian age is associated with harmony, understanding, sympathy and trust.  All female characteristics. It is perhaps the female leaders that will turn the ship to restore balance in life, becoming more caring, nurturing, and responsible in how and what we live for?  Fostering a global economy and community that sees nations support each other rather than competing and striving to be the first with the strong, fit and healthy and remembering the rest as an afterthought?

    In the words of Marilyn Munroe, “One of the best things that ever happened to me, is that I am a woman.  That is the way all females should feel.” 

     

    Happy International Women’s Day.

     

    To find out more about how Green Key can help you and your leadership journey, contact Rachel directly.

  • Active Leadership – The Benefits of Combining Movement & Leadership

    When I was a young manager, my first General Manager at the time was a very special man, sadly no longer with us. He was general manager of the Elangeni Hotel in Durban, South Africa and he taught me many things about managing and leading people in what is a demanding, but rewarding industry. He was inquisitive, asked questions not only to satisfy his own interest, but also to check your understanding of what you might have been doing at that point in time, as well as the bigger picture of why I was doing whatever it is I was doing. He was always immaculately dressed, irrelevant of time of day or night in full suit with waistcoat and a red rose in his buttonhole. I don’t think I ever saw him in any other clothing during the 4 years I worked with him. He was respectful of everyone, no matter your position, male or female, senior or younger. I never heard him raise his voice in all that time, even when annoyed. He was a fair man, I suppose strict in some ways. He gave out autonomy to his team members expecting performance as agreed, and these characteristics shone through his leadership approach. On top of this, he led by walking about. He is what I would call an “active” leader. Of course, there were times when he was in his office, but in general once the paperwork, meetings and discussions had been completed, he was out and about. His “finger was totally on the pulse”. Nothing passed him by.

    Much of my leadership approach is based on my learning from this person as well as the variety of people working in the hotel with their vast array of backgrounds, experiences, cultures and education, all doing an honest day’s work in the hotel industry while providing me a fantastic foundation on which to learn. Perhaps they did not feel the same way!

    We often read posts on LinkedIn, X or the like on how important it is to move, to be active whether a manager or not. Personally, I’m a great advocate for this. Managers and leaders generally spend too much time at the computer or other electronic device and not enough time moving, talking to employees and clients. At the same time many managers have ideal job roles that allow them to be active not only before or after work, but also during by combining movement with going around the operations and different departments. Being visible in this way enables managers to see how things are running and to check in with team members, giving individual employees an opportunity to talk, share information, difficulties and so on while also understanding if they have any challenges, what is going well, how they are etc. Being active also provides opportunities to listen to and talk to guests and customers addressing their concerns, hearing their comments and receiving feedback. All while being active and moving around. 

    What is so important about moving? It is not necessary to run a marathon, climb the tallest mountain, or cycle 10 kilometres a day to be active to enjoy the benefits, such as:

    •    Consistent focus, clarity and balanced mental health 

    •    Consistent energy levels throughout the day

    •    Positive outlook 

    •    Reduction in stress, anxiety and mood swings 

    •    Good cardiovascular health 

    •    Easier weight management 

    •    Stronger immune system to combat seasonal bugs and viruses

    •    Better sleep

    If that’s not enough, to this list can also be added building stable and healthy relationships with others, providing the social aspects of life that are so important. Humans are herd animals and to be healthy we need social connections and relationships. A perfect link to the essence of good leadership. Leadership is only possible if followers choose to follow. This requires building relations and consequently trust, understanding employees, strong skills of emotional intelligence and the ability to listen. Showing personal vulnerability, courage, integrity and honesty. A leader cannot demonstrate these characteristics from an office by email or other internal communication system. These tools support face to face communication, but do not replace them. The lessons I learned over 30 years ago from my first general manager are still the same today!

    £340 billion was lost in the UK economy due to employees’ disengagement and 0.8 million workers in 2023/24 were suffering from work-related stress, anxiety and depression according to Perkbox and Vivup. According to HSE Safety, £14.5 billion annual costs in new cases of work-related ill health in 2022/23. How much of this is due to losing contact with employees, just expecting them to perform in accordance with the job description? A recent blog on “Engage Employee” website listed the top five reasons employees go to work and which can be summarised by saying the majority of our employees come to work for the social contact and that sense of belonging. “Engage Employee” survey results with 2,000 employees ranked reasons for coming to work as:

    1.    The People 

    2.    Feeling like I am good at it 

    3.    The hours 

    4.    It’s fulfilling 

    5.    Working as a team 

    Salary was ranked in 6th place.   

    Quite clearly social connection and interaction is rated as extremely important with 3 out of the top 5 reflecting this fact. How can you encourage your managers and leaders to be more active in the workplace, not only to get their “steps in”, and improve their overall well-being and that of their employees, but also to build trust through regular and open communication, stronger teamwork, improve problem solving, and build and manage relations with customers and guests? Being an active leader, costs nothing, but there is much to gain.

    References 

    https://www.engageemployee.com/blog/top-20-reasons-we-go-to-work

    https://hcssafety.co.uk/news/hse-statistics-2024/#:~:text=The%20annual%20cost%20of%20new,22%20to%20%C2%A37.1%20billion.