Your Every-Day Leadership and Team-Talk can create Wellbeing and Performance every-day.
In 2021 Covid lockdowns in Australia created a catalyst for prioritising Wellbeing at Work.
As it is the leader who has the biggest impact on a team’s every-day work experiences, the environment they create every-day, significantly determines the extent team members consistently experience personal and professional wellbeing.
Whilst today’s leaders are better than ever at supporting Wellbeing, by providing tools and permission to manage your own wellbeing (McQuaid) - there is an opportunity to go 1 step further and actively create an environment in which Wellbeing (and Belonging) thrive through your team’s every-day “team-talk” and interactions.
Whilst we’ve long known the environment leaders create increases or decreases engagement, wellbeing and belonging - it has been less clear exactly what the specific formula is, for doing that on a conscious and consistent basis.
In 2020’s Lockdown, I took a deep dive into some new research and found what I been seeking to answer the question leaders had long asked of me, “Deb, tell me the few simple things to do to increase [insert wellbeing, inclusion, belonging or engagement] and I’ll do them”.
The formula had to meet 2 preconditions:
a positive impact on business performance,
increase personal and professional flourishing.
The formula emerged when I combined Dr Clark’s, The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety, Deloitte’s research on Belonging and The Wellbeing Lab’s Research on Wellbeing @ Work.
What became clear from the data, was 1 simple mindset and 4 consistent behaviours have an outsized impact on creating both flourishing business performance and personal & professional wellbeing and belonging.
What’s particularly noteworthy, however, is the formula is also uniquely suited for people and business to thrive - not just survive, in today’s chaotic conditions.
4 Conscious Collective behaviours cumulatively create Wellbeing and Belonging, Innovation and Performance.
Creating Connection is the starting point in any team, and is at the core of our personal and professional wellbeing. (Psychology Today)
When teams are deeply and equally connected, they collaborate more productively and constructively, and set the foundations for better outcomes.
By understanding our co-worker’s motivations and strengths, we create the foundations of positive and meaningful human and professional connections.
TOP TIP: adjust your ME versus WE team-talk and interactions.
* Less conversation about me and more about we, changes the focus from I to US.
Hybrid Connection Suggestion: connection is more rewarding when it’s personal and meaningful.
A Coaching Approach uses a genuine blend of asking and advising. Creating a platform for sharing information and expertise results in better outcomes.
More asking and less telling, supports performance and wellbeing and enables individuals to bring their unique perspectives, strengths and skills to work. It also acknowledges their experience and knowledge is valuable and valued.
The coaching process increases Wellbeing, by developing competence and confidence in your ability to perform your job.
TOP TIP: adjust your ADVISE versus ASK ratio.
* More curious questions and less directing and deciding, increase business outcomes, professional performance and personal wellbeing.
Hybrid Coaching Suggestion: using micro-coaching moments, is an extremely powerful way of overcoming roadblocks and agreeing next steps. (ZengerFolkman)
Collaboration creates Wellbeing and Performance by enabling a constructive process which increases the contribution of everyone’s knowledge and experience, skills and strengths.
Giving people autonomy in how they achieve tasks and goals, significantly increases contribution and further positively impacts wellbeing and belonging. (NLI; McQuaid)
Autonomy also unlocks a team’s collective intelligence by a power of 2. (Wiseman)
The process of Collaboration supports wellbeing and belonging by validating someone’s unique contributions and value.
TOP TIP: adjust your team-talk to include more curious questions:
“what suggestions do we have…?
what does our experience tell us…?
what alternatives are available?”
Hybrid Collaboration Suggestion: can be achieved by going round the virtual room and ensuring everyone’s voice is equally heard.
Here is where the formula starts to pay the highest dividends!
Challenging kick starts the process of innovation by enabling us to question the status quo and adapt business for the future.
It also magnifies Wellbeing because of the ability to make a meaningful difference and have a material positive impact.
Conscious and constructive challenging with positive intentions, is the lifeblood of any team searching for ways to thrive, not just survive in today’s chaotic world.
By far the majority of innovations are focussed on everyday processes and improvements, more than creating iPhones. ie. the ‘little BIG things’ which occur naturally during everyday team-talk.
TOP TIP: Kick start team-talk with “If we were to disrupt… or how might we achieve or overcome…?”
* Keeping an open mind is critical to enable the breakthrough options to surface, which are then refined into a viable and vibrant new reality.
Hybrid Challenging Suggestion: works best when you state your positive intention and explain you’re about to play “Devil’s Advocate / Angel”.
At the core of these 4 Collective Leadership and Team behaviours is the BELIEF that WE are better together.
We achieve more, when everyone equally contributes their unique perspectives and experiences, strengths and skills.
Whilst the formula creates business and personal impact in homogeneous teams, it has the ability to supercharge the impact in Diverse Teams.
Diverse Teams out-innovate and out-perform homogenous teams (S. Page) and Belonging is magnified for under-represented groups when they’re authentically included and appreciated team members. (SAP)
CONSCIOUS COLLECTIVE LEADERS are ‘future-fit’ Leaders and equally effective in hybrid, remote or face to face environments.