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Tag: Workplace Wellbeing

  • 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.

  • Take Control of Your Back to Work Fears

    This month’s blog is focused on the return to the office working environment and how you might be feeling about going out and about after the long period of social distancing, working from home and generally controlled contact on public transport and in crowded places. 

    Good news – yesterday morning the prime minister, Boris Johnson announced that we can all start hugging again.  Hugging, a form of physical contact with others is essential to us human beings. It is normal and natural that we shake hands, hug, casually, briefly touch each other during conversation and sit within reasonably close contact.  Infact it is not only normal and natural it is essential to our wellbeing, and the sooner we get hugging the better for our mental, emotional and physical health. The thought of going out into crowded places to get to the office, take a lunch break and use public transport, for some after such a long break, might be overwhelming, causing anxiety attacks and even agoraphobia. 

    WHAT IS AGORAPHOBIA? 

    According to NHS England “Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or that help wouldn’t be available if things go wrong. Many people assume agoraphobia is simply a fear of open spaces, but it’s actually a more complex condition. Someone with agoraphobia may be scared of travelling on public transport.” 

    VERY OFTEN SYMPTOMS OF AGORAPHOBIA ARE:

    • Fear or anxiety almost always results from exposure to the situation 
    • The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger of the situation 
    • Often with agoraphobia you avoid the situation, you need someone to go with you, or you endure the situation but become extremely distressed 
    • These feelings of significant distress or problems with social situations, work or other areas in your life result because of the fear, anxiety or avoidance 
    • This phobia and avoidance can last up to six months or even longer. 

    TYPICAL TRIGGERS OF AGORAPHOBIA ACCORDING TO THE MAYO CLINIC INCLUDE:

    • Leaving home alone 
    • Crowds or waiting in line 
    • Enclosed spaces, such as movie theatres, elevators or small stores 
    • Open spaces, such as parking lots, bridges or malls 
    • Using public transportation, such as a bus, plane or train 

    Take Control of Your Back to Work FearsDo you or any of your employees resonate with this definition and are feeling insecure, nervous and perhaps even anxious at having to travel on public transport and go back into the office environment, or are you welcoming this development with open arms?

    Agoraphobia is classed as a mental disorder as it can have the same debilitating effects as other mental disorders such as general anxiety disorder, depression and panic disorder. 

    WHAT CAN ORGANISATIONS DO TO HELP EMPLOYEES WITH AGORAPHOBIA, FEELINGS OF ANXIETY OR AGORAPHOBIC TENDENCIES? 

    Below are 5 things that can help leaders in organisations to identify and address employees that are suffering agoraphobic tendencies; 

    1. Be understanding and empathise. The person you are talking to might appear quite rational, calm and balanced, until such time as they are faced with having to leave the house, use public transport or even enter the office that was so familiar up until March 2020, which makes the conversation seem unreal and perhaps even a “try on” to return to or remain home-working. Show empathy, give time willingly and avoid judgement. 
    2. Notice changes in behaviour. Be attentive in conversations with employees and notice any change in behaviour, however slight.  Create an opportunity to open up the conversation around how they might be feeling about coming back to work in the office. If already back in the office, how they might feel about work back in the office and how they have adapted and changed their personal circumstances to accommodate this change. 
    3. Listen without commentary. When an employee begins to tell you about how they are feeling and the challenges they might be having around the new regime it might include issues in connection with childcare, the difficulties that might be caused by working part time at home and the rest of the time in the office.  Perhaps there are some family issues going on in the background that is distracting attention and performance.  Listening without trying to find the solution can be the most powerful gift that you give anyone.  Very often just being listened to is enough to feel secure, and to find the way forward by themselves.  The job of a leader is not to “fix” others, it is to help others fix themselves through listening. 
    4. Keep in touch. Once an employee has found their own solutions which they are comfortable with, check in now and again to see how they are getting on and what has changed in how they feel. Has the anxiety or agoraphobic attacks become less, more or gone away completely? If increasing, advise them to visit their doctor and encourage them to add practices such as meditation, deep breathing and mindfulness to their daily regime. 
    5. Do not assume that the most confident of your employees are not struggling. As leaders we often leave those that are the most confident and competent to “get on with the job,” to give time to those who need guidance, input and training. Why? They know what they are doing and therefore why get in the way or interfere? Agoraphobia and agoraphobic tendencies are not reserved for the less confident, it can affect anyone at any time. 

    The essence of what is in this blog is to avoid underestimating the impact that not only Covid has had on the physical body, but on mental health as well.  Living in an environment of fear for the last year has taken its toll on many of us and the true impact of isolation, social distancing and other lockdown regulations, may only be starting to show now.

     

    Worried about agoraphobia or other mental health issues in your office? Try Green Key’s Wellbeing in the Workplace E-learning course to help your team’s productivity!

  • 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 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?

  • Thriving Call Centre Culture: Wellbeing & Success

    In today’s dynamic customer service landscape, call centres play a pivotal role in shaping customer experience. Yet recent data makes it clear: focusing on employee wellbeing and retention is not a luxury—it’s a necessity for achieving sustainable productivity and a thriving call centre environment and culture.

    Call centre roles are inherently demanding. A constant stream of customer issues, emotionally charged conversations, and high expectations for immediate, personalised service place daily pressure on staff. While every customer deserves to feel important, the burden of delivering this experience repeatedly can take a toll on frontline employees.

    That’s why it’s critical that organisations look beyond performance metrics and instead focus on creating the environment and support systems that empower success.

    Key Strategies to Enhance Productivity and Wellbeing in Your Call Centre

    1. Address Employee Wellbeing

    The emotional and cognitive load in call centre work is considerable—and growing. Recent data from MHFA England reveals that:

    “63% of UK employees show signs of burnout, up from 51% just two years ago.” 

    “Only 55% report a high level of workplace wellbeing.” (Great Place to Work UK) 2024 report.

    Actionable solutions:

    • Schedule regular check-ins between employees and managers.
    • Avoid the “sticking plaster approach” and build a wellness strategy that deals with core of wellbeing in your team.
    • Create wellness programmes tailored to shift workers.
    • Promote flexible scheduling that supports work-life balance.
    • Offer training on resilience and stress management techniques.

    2. Foster Open Communication

    When employees feel heard and valued, they’re more engaged, loyal, and productive. The work culture thrives leading a productive environment and business success. Communication should flow in both directions—from leadership to staff, and from staff to leadership. Make a difference with:

    • Regular 1-to-1s and team check-ins.
    • Transparent updates from leadership, with open forums for discussion.
    • Anonymous surveys to gather honest feedback.
    • Acting on feedback to drive meaningful change.
    • Building psychological safety in teams fosters trust, collaboration, and long-term engagement.

    3. Optimise Work Arrangements

    Flexible working isn’t just a trend—it’s the new standard. According to the 2023 Call Centre Helper Research Paper – What Call Centres are Doing Right Now, 56.7% of contact centres now operate flexible shifts and a further 17.2% having this in their plans. The Times reports that hybrid work improves job satisfaction and reduces turnover by giving employees more autonomy and better work-life balance.

    Suggestions for success:

    • Offer hybrid and remote options where possible.
    • Provide equal access to support, resources, and recognition for remote staff.
    • Keep communication strong across virtual platforms.
    • Encourage regular team meet-ups (virtual or in-person) to share updates and resolve issues.

    4. Enhance Employee Retention

     Call centre staff turnover in the UK is, on average, 26% per year, while the national average sits at 15%. With an average call centre turnover rate of 26% per year, well above the national average of 15%, the call centre sector faces retention challenges. Moreover, in some call centres, turnover can reach levels as high as 44% per year, making the call centre industry one of the most transitory industries. Odondo  

    Actions that can help boost retention:

    • Train managers to lead with empathy, consistency, and transparency.
    • Clearly communicate career paths and advancement opportunities.
    • Create a culture that recognises and celebrates contributions.
    • Offer competitive salaries and meaningful benefits.
    • Ensure employees feel they belong, are valued, and have purpose in their work.

    5. Leverage Technology to Support, Not Monitor

    Technology can either streamline operations while maintaining a thriving call centre culture, or add stress—depending on how it’s implemented. The right tools should empower employees and enhance every customer experience, not micromanage and put the onus on the customer to do all the work. Key technologies to deploy:

    • Automate repetitive admin and customer queries.
    • Implement AI-driven support tools for complex problem-solving.
    • Provide real-time coaching and feedback systems.
    • Ensure proper training so both staff and customers know how to use these tools effectively.

    The goal to a thriving call centre is to remove friction, free up time, and give employees the tools to excel—not surveil their every move.

    Closing Thought

    Productivity follows people-first leadership. When you prioritise employee wellbeing, flexibility, communication, and fair treatment, your team becomes more resilient, engaged, and committed resulting in a thriving call centre culture and productive environment. In turn, this creates better outcomes for customers—and the business as a whole.

    In a service-driven world, your people are your most powerful asset. Let’s give them what they need to thrive.

    If you would like to chat about creating a thriving call centre culture, get in touch https://www.greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com/pages/contact

  • Tips for coping with the heat in an office environment

    Back at work in the office, or even if you are still working from home, working in the current heat of 25-27 degrees C can be quite difficult, heat often causes difficulty concentrating and drains energy in simply trying to stay cool.  Here are a few tips on how you can stay cool in the summer heat:

    • Wear loose clothing, preferably clothing made from natural fabrics as these feel cooler on the skin while also absorbing any perspiration.
    • Drink plenty of fluids including water and herbal teas. Avoid caffeine-based drinks as they tend to make your heart beat faster which in turn increases the heat in the body. Ideally aim to drink a minimum of 2 litres of water daily.  Hot teas make the body perspire which in turn cools you down, whereas ice cold drinks have minimal effect on cooling you down, even though you feel good and refreshed at the time. Remember that too many ice-cold foods and drinks can cause an internal chill which might result in digestion issues, therefore minimise the intake of ice-cold foods and drinks.
    • Keep a bottle of water with you all the time so that you don’t get dehydrated. As the brain is approximately 70% water, dehydration makes it more difficult for the brain to function at optimal capacity. If you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated! Ideally start your day with a large glass of room temperature water with lemon and then take sips of water consistently throughout the day.
    • Hold meetings outside the office under some trees where you can pick up any breeze. Start the meeting with a little stretching and movement which is good for the mood also. Regular movement, even if only for a loo break or to make yourself a cuppa stops you from becoming drowsy at your desk particularly, in the post prandial time of day.
    • Travel in the cool of the day to avoid overpacked trains and buses. If you can start earlier and finish earlier this will minimise the amount of time you are spending in a small space with lots of body heat becoming hot and sweaty before you even start your working day.
    • Eat cooling, lighter foods such as salads and chilled soups, raw vegetables, grilled fish and Mediterranean style vegetables – aubergine, courgette and peppers for lunch rather than something heavy which requires lots of body heat to digest.
    • Eat outdoors in a green space if there is one conveniently located to enjoy nature’s calming and soothing effects.
    • Use aromatic waters, such as citrus, rose or chamomile to spray yourself, especially your face when feeling overwhelmed with heat. The cooling effect provides relief by taking out the heat.

    I hope you find these tips useful and for more useful information, visit our Health & Wellbeing website www.greenkeyhealth.co.uk

  • 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.

  • Moral courage in leadership

    “If you are a leader. A person that other fellows look to, you’ve got to keep going.”

    Sir Ernest Shackleton

    As we speed to the end of 2022 and begin 2023, on our minds is the inevitable “New Year Resolutions.” What, if any are you committing yourself to do or be? Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist in our NHS sparked my thought process to think about new year and my resolutions.  If I am to set any, the word “courage” comes to mind.

    Courage as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary is “the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” When referring to courage, based on this definition we are already including the word moral and therefore it is not necessary to refer to “moral courage”. In the words of Daniel Goleman, courage is based on self-confidence and people with this competence are able to:

    • “Present themselves with self-assurance and self-confidence creating a “presence”
    • Are able to and will voice views that are unpopular, going out on a limb for what is right
    • Are decisive, able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties, pressures, obstacles, as well as fear.”

    Courage, in short is the ability to overcome fear in the face of perceived danger for what you believe is right. How many leaders today, do you know who are doing just that? The Mandelas, Churchills and even Shackleton, the explorer are long gone. It is only self-confidence and courage that gives you the strength to make tough decisions or follow a course of action that you believe in, despite opposition, disagreement and even the threat of being dislodged, smeared and ridiculed by those with an equally strong, but opposite belief. Whether you agree with what Dr Malhotra is saying, is irrelevant, but he is standing up for what he believes and leading the way for those that believe the same, but yet, lack the self-confidence and courage to speak out due to fear of what might happen, if they do.

    Fear, which I have written about in a previous blog is something that is based on irrational beliefs, events, persons or feelings that will result in negative, disastrous, disturbing, unsettling or even life-threatening consequences for the person who is in fear. Our fears can and do take us hostage, preventing and blocking us from living powerfully, being who we are without fear of retribution, because of a negative state. Surely, living in a democratic society means that we can share personal opinions and views openly in an appropriate manner, allowing others to having an opposite viewpoint whether in public, our teams or in organisations?

    Our brains are hardwired to look for danger and pain, warning us to stay away.  In order to act courageously you have to convince your brain to look for and see the benefit of a particular action. I remember several situations in my career where courage to speak out about what I thought would be perceived as a negative decision by those who were on the other end of it, and in the short-term detrimental to those same people. The risk was high, but it was the only way that I saw for us all to weather the storm, and survive, thus in the medium-term would and did benefit all. That did not make it easy, because the brain is trying to convince you that you are not doing the right thing, therefore you are not only dealing with the feelings and opinions of those who are on the end of your decision, but also your own self-doubt and sudden disappearance of inner confidence and calm. How will you feel and what will you do if it goes wrong? Those questions driving shame, guilt and fear, perhaps even anger before it has arrived. How do you overcome fear in order to step outside your comfort zone and secure base and look danger in the face, not recklessly, but with enough self-confidence to eliminate the fear and to use it towards achieving a positive outcome.

    1. Identify the fear – just what is it that you are afraid of? Write it down and examine it for what it is, using the questions: Why do I have this fear? Where is the fear coming from? What is driving it?
    2. Go deeper and reflect on aspects of the past and what may be contributing to this fear in the present. Have you stirred an old wound that you have been suppressing?
    3. Think of someone who you can share and talk about your fear with. Someone who can be your “base,” an ally who will listen and walk with you through your fear.
    4. Visualise yourself overcoming your fear and succeeding in your quest.
    5. Act by taking the necessary steps to make it happen. It is only when you have acted that you truly have overcome your fear.

    Courage is a very essential characteristic of a leader. George Kohlrieser in “Care to Dare” talks about “Playing to win.” Playing to win takes the perceived threat and fear out of the equation. When a leader plays to win, he or she is able to take the necessary risks to succeed. When playing to win you have a high focus on relationships, therefore not sacrificing your people for your own ego. It is about the fine balance between the relationships and the level of challenge that enables you to reach the highest levels of performance. You support your team members, creating a safe place, but at the same time stretch them through high expectations, challenge, direct and constructive feedback. Feeling safe and challenged, your team members will be fully engaged in exploring possibilities, being creative, as well as taking the risks necessary to allow for them to take the steps needed for change. Practicing the balance of “caring and daring” you will not pursue options that allow others to “lose.”

    Nelson Mandela, Sir Ernest Shackleton and other great leaders all played to win overcoming their own fears and taking the “bull by the horns”. They led at their best despite setbacks by creating a safe base for their followers, even though working against the odds, having a deep impact on their followers and ultimately on the outcome. Leaders in business who act in the same manner also play to win, not just for themselves, but all those they lead. Dr Malhotra is doing just that.

    In my humble opinion it is time for our leaders, whether in government, in organisations or small business, to pick up the gauntlet, overcome their fears and show courage by speaking out and sharing what in your hearts you know to be true. Perhaps if we all did that, our world would be a more humble, tolerant and caring place?

    Are you ready to stick your head above the parapet and speak up for what you believe is true and right?

    References:

    Working with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman

    Care to Dare, George Kohlrieser

    Hostage at the Table, George Kohlrieser