Wellbeing & The Conscious Leader
The good news is that we are all talking and thinking about wellbeing more. However, the challenge for leaders is feeling comfortable and confident enough to ask their team how they are, and then being able to truly listen.
Leader wellbeing worries
The good news is that we are all talking and thinking about wellbeing more. However, the challenge for leaders is feeling comfortable and confident enough to ask their team how they are, and then being able to truly listen.
Solving those worries
Actually, just asking the question is a help; and sometimes you do need to ask it more than once to tease out a response. The conscious leader taps into their Emotional Intelligence (EQ), asks the question and then listens.
It is the listening that can really help make the difference, by just allowing pauses and not feeling the need to jump into silence – then more will be shared, and people will open up. Showing empathy is important, as it encourages people to share more, and they feel understood and listened to.
Creating a supporting environment
Actually, despite may Leader’s fears, people don’t look to their leader to ‘fix’ them, rather they are looking for a safe supportive environment, the ability to talk things through and for a leader who is able to help them think through the options they have and the approach they may wish to take. The Conscious Leader provides that.
Making the time to just ask how an individual and a team feel is important; it shows you care; that you value them, and it creates an important connection and has been identified as a ‘moment that matters’.
However, it all must start with the Conscious Leader being self-aware, again an important aspect of EQ, and for them to know that by looking after themselves that they are then more able to support the wellbeing of their team. This, in turn, supports the creation and maintenance of a culture that proactively support individuals and teams in the workplace.
Being aware of and looking after wellbeing in the workplace can help enhance engagement and retention, increase performance and contribution, and improve decision making. So, taking those few moments as a Conscious Leader to check in with yourself, and your team, can be rewarding and payoff in so many ways.
Try it – in your next 1:1 session, or even in your next team meeting – just ask people how they are, how they really are and listen.
If you want to build your personal ability as a Conscious Leader, and enhance the level of Emotional intelligence within your organisation and your Leadership population, please do get in touch.