In a business environment that is only going to get tougher, people are now under greater pressure to do more and be more than ever before. They will face more situations of having to deliver bad news on issues such as redundancies and salary reductions, and will be faced with some seemingly impossible targets (given the current economic condition) - all of which takes an emotional toll.
Since this sort of pressure isn't likely to change over the next 12 months people need to be armed with the right skills and abilities to handle it if they are going to stay productive and effective.
Simply being 'smart' will no longer be enough to get results. Your team will need to develop resiliency and pressure mastery skills if they are going to continue to thrive in the new economic environment.
Developing workforce resilience is not about team building activities or giving pep talks. Rather it is about building their mental, physical, emotional intelligence and capacity to be able to flow with, and stay in control of, their pressures.
" In a corporate environment that is changing at warp speed, performing consistently at high levels is more difficult and more necessary than ever. High performance depends as much on how people renew and recover energy as much as on how they expend it... on how they manage their lives, as much as on how they manage their work. When people feel strong and resilient - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually they perform better, with more passion for longer. They win, their families win and the corporations that employ them win!"
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz,
Harvard Business Review, January 2001
Some of the key resilience principles that will help are you team thrive, include:
a. Emotional hardiness
High adrenaline levels from stressful or emotional situations can impair logic and lead to poor decision making. Staff need to take control of their emotional reactions to situations so that they stay clear headed regardless of whether they are building rapport with clients, delivering a report, or letting staff go. Emotional hardiness includes:
* Setting boundaries
* Not being everything to everyone
* Not taking people personally
* Controlling your emotions
Action Step: Emotional hardiness is not simply the lack of empathy or emotion, but rather a disciplined decision of when and how to express their emotions. Leaders can help their staff to become emotionally hardy by encouraging them to set boundaries on their workloads, time frame expectations and availability to everyone else.
Also, by taking the time to listen (and act on) feedback from people, staff gain a sense of trust and faith that their best interests are being acknowledged and, therefore, are more willing to apply themselves to their tasks.
b. Communication clarity
People are always anxious when receiving feedback, assessment, or bad news. Being able to say what you mean, clearly and concisely, without clouding your message with emotion, whilst listening to your eam is a critical skill. Communication clarity includes:
* Speaking straight
* Effective listening (to your staff and clients)
* Concise message
* Empathy without responsibility
Action Step: Leaders need to become the example of the behaviour they wish others to do. Demonstrate your own communication clarity by reacting calmly and clearly in your communications. Before responding to any situation, incident or conflict, take an extra 3 seconds to calm yourself down, gather your thoughts, so that you can focus on the issue (and not the emotion).
c. Personal leadership
Aspiring to meet target and deadlines will compel the dedicated staff to exert more energy and sacrifice personal needs such as rest, family time and exercise. Managing time and energy will be the currency of success in tough times. Creating working stamina comes from being able to correctly allocate and regenerate personal energy resources. Personal leadership includes:
* Energy management
* Mental toughness
* Work-life integration
* Time effectiveness
Action Step:
You cannot give what you do not have. Plan your energy spends and replenishment like you would do with a financial budget. Be aware of the tasks that will require extra energy expenditure, and ensure that they do not span the entire day. You also need to factor in daily activities that replenish your energy, such as slowing the pace, quiet time, relaxation, personal interests and family connection.
If you are in it for the long haul, then ensure that your energy budget can support you all the way.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
"These days smart companies, large and small, are viewing work-life initiatives not as favors but as strategic business tools that help keep valuable workers and make it easier to attract new ones....and the bottom line impact can be quite dramatic."
Karol Rose, Fortune Magazine, 2005
