Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting our View from the C-Suite session on Thriving During Chaos with Beth Tyndall, Chief People Officer of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Beth shared a wealth of strategies and tips from both her personal experience and as a C-suite executive. You can watch it below, or, scroll down to see my three big take-aways from our conversation.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MArBz9tix8g&w=560&h=315]
Key Takeaways
1. Lose the Heroics
To thrive during unprecedented times of change, practicing self-care and not going it alone is critical. Pay attention to your own signs of burnout. If you find yourself not sleeping, being more irritable than usual, skipping activities you usually enjoy, it’s probably time to take a break. The analogy ‘put your own mask on first’ is crucial. And, be sure to surround yourself with peers and colleagues who can support you when you’re having a low energy day. If you’re at 20%, who can you tap into for the additional 80% you need to bring the best to your team?
2. Create Space to Really Listen and Get Vulnerable
Frequent communication, checking in on mental health, and leaders stepping up and sharing their own first-hand experiences can reduce the stigma attached to the mental strains that this pandemic is putting on people. If your senior leadership isn’t stepping up to the plate, don’t underestimate the impact you can have within your own team by leading candid conversations and creating a safe space for people to express their concerns. And, do it frequently. This pandemic is moving fast and personal motivation, energy and needs can vary week to week, day to day and even moment to moment.
3. Culture is the Game Changer
The seeds you sow in your organizational culture will either enable you to thrive during times of extreme change and challenge or will bring you down. Consider the types of behaviours you need to see in the good times and cultivate those behaviours actively. When the ‘rubber hits the road’ during difficult times, it is the embedded company culture and norms that will either positively (or negatively) affect your ability to navigate the changes ahead. As a team leader, take the time to create team norms and expectations that will help your team whether your organization’s culture is clear or not.
Join Us for Our Next Webinar
Join us for our next session on August 25th, where we talk about Building Inclusive Teams with the indomitable Faith Clarke. We’ll be exploring the key principles for building and maintaining a diverse team of socially conscious people and how to create more trust and inclusion in every stage of your team’s life. Register here.
Thanks again for joining us and be sure to reach out if we can:
- Help your leaders build high performance teams
- Help you create an accountable/results-focused culture
- Help your leaders navigate change, disruption and growth
- Help you finesse your leadership approach and make a greater impact
