I recently did a series of short videos on LinkedIn entitled 13 Reasons Why exploring why every organisation needs to invest in building and sustaining a resilient workforce.
I received positive feedback on the series and was asked to augment it with a series of articles on the same subject.
Before I explore the 13 reasons we need a resilient workforce, I wanted to bust five myths.
Read MoreIn 27 days’ time, if you are responsible for negligently causing death in your workplace, you will be fined and go to jail.
The new Workplace Manslaughter Laws (Victoria, Australia) come into effect on 1st July 2020 and can impose fines of up to $16,522,000 and jail sentences of 20 years.
Read MoreThe Protector protects the team by making sure it has the capabilities and resources to be resilient.
The Protector’s language and behaviours say, “I care about you and I value your contribution.”
Leaders who protect their employees, support and stand up for them. They make sure they have everything they need to get the job done. They are not left to fend for themselves and flounder.
Read MoreThe Restructurer uses cognitive restructuring to challenge negative and reactive thinking.
What we say and how we say it can shape how we think. What we think can increase the intensity of our emotions and the way in which we perceive difficult situations. Therefore, the use of negative language can create negative emotions, which will result in low resilience.
Read MoreThe Enquirer asks questions—a lot of questions.
Leaders have to stop telling people what to do. Effective leaders lead with questions.
When leaders have a conversation based on questions, employees feel valued, motivated and empowered. This helps build resilience in the team.
Read MoreKaren Ferris joins Pedro Soto in this episode of Westbury Analytics talk radio to talk about the role of analytics in managing change and How Getting Change Right Puts You Ahead of the Competition.
Read MoreThe Reflector provides time for individual and team reflection.
The Reflector encourages every member of the team to reflect on their recent experiences. Discussion about the challenge and how employees coped is encouraged.
This activity facilitates team members in supporting one another. The process can include action planning for the team. Reflection improves resilience.
Read MoreSuperpower - Direction. The Director provides clear direction for themselves and their employees. They provide clear direction but not at the expense of employee autonomy.
They provide clear direction without being prescriptive or micromanaging.
They enable resilience by providing clear direction, and when setbacks occur, they are able to get everyone back on track and working towards shared goals.
Read MoreGood leadership requires real accountability.
The Accountant is accountable, which means they take personal accountability for the choices they make and for their behaviours and actions.
The Accountant does not point the finger at others when things don’t go to plan. They take ownership and act accordingly.
Read MoreThe Promoter promotes self-care.
In our busy, always-on lives, we can often forget to look after ourselves. When we don't look after ourselves, we can become stressed, anxious, fatigued and burnt out.
Self-care is core to our resilience in a world of constant change. We need to look after ourselves and encourage others to do the same.
Read MoreThe Nurturer builds a culture of trust and respect. When there is trust and respect, employees are connected. They feel safe to express their feelings knowing that there will be respect and their voice will be heard and valued. They trust you, as their leader, to be true to your commitments. It also reinforces that you trust them to do the right thing.
Read MoreThe Includer builds a resilient team by fostering and modeling trust and inclusivity.
The Includer embraces the idea that an inclusive workplace is one in which injury, mental illness or disability do not present obstacles to a fulfilling life in work.
The Includer builds inclusivity through the creation of diverse teams.
Read MoreThe Removalist works to remove the stigma of mental health in the workplace.
Stigma can be one of the greatest barriers to psychological health and safety in the workplace; therefore, it can have a direct impact on employee resilience.
We need to remove the stigma so that employees experiencing mental health issues can reach out sooner, access resources to assist and return to well-being. Generally, less than 1 in 3 employees struggling with a mental health condition seek help.
Read MoreThe Cultivator creates the environment for innovation.
Organisations that cannot innovate to stay ahead of the game will cease to exist.
Employees who do not feel safe to contribute through creativity, experimentation and innovation will have low resilience. Therefore, as a leader, you need to cultivate an environment in which innovation thrives.
Read MoreThe Developer creates a culture of learning. When change is constant and ever increasing in speed, leaders need to move from programs of training to a continuous learning and development model that repeatedly builds employees skills and provides a range of formal training options.
Read MoreAs a leader, your employees are looking to you to model resilience. They want to see how you deal with the pressure of constant and uncertain change. They want to see how you deal with setbacks, let-downs and failed attempts at success, and still manage to bounce forward. They will take their cues from you, so it is imperative that they see you modelling resilient behaviour.
Read MoreGreat pleasure talking with Ram Kumar about work-life balance and motivation.
How do you find work-life balance? How do you find a role model? Do you know your happy place?
How do you find motivation and be inspired? We explore those questions and so much more.
Read MoreThe Reinforcer reinforces desired behaviours. Positive reinforcement builds resilience.
Research through the years has shown that employees that are positively reinforced, work together more efficiently and harmoniously and are more resilient in the process.
Read MoreA resilient team is one in which employees have a shared sense of purpose and connectedness.
The Connector creates cultural experiences and means of engagement that allow for better collaboration.
The Connector encourages cross-functional collaboration to draw on the diverse set of skills and capabilities within an organization.
They provide cross-functional teams with a shared purpose and provide them with the autonomy to solve problems, seize opportunities, experiment, innovate and make decisions within provided parameters.
Read MoreThe Caretaker makes sure that there is psychological safety in the workplace.
The term ‘psychological safety’ was first coined by Amy C. Edmondson in her 1999 research study of workplace teams. Edmondson is a Harvard Business School professor and defines psychological safety as:
“Psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes."
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