change management
Don't be an ostrich - Dare to ask!
Don't be an ostrich - Dare to ask!
By Karen Amos
The change continues inexorably onwards, although thankfully not always at this pace. It’s clear however, that the current challenges and uncertainties are going to be with us for a significant time to come.
There are an overwhelming amount of challenges facing managers and business owners as we leave lockdown, whether that's in business, schools, or organisations, including:
- Bringing staff back into the workplace from home working or furlough
- Managing geographically dispersed teams
- Managing redundancy and re-structures
- Managing the health and safety needs of staff and the public
Whilst home-working has introduced increased effectiveness in many areas, there are difficulties too. If you’re used to asking a question from the person sat at the next desk for example, there’s an inevitable time lag if you’re homeworking.
Additionally, whilst there was a huge novelty factor for many at the start of homeworking, there’s now a marked division in those who want to remain working from home and those who are desperate to return to the workplace. Failure to address this will cost many businesses enormously.
Socially distanced working and constant change also means managers have to work extra hard at employee engagement, particularly when there are tough business and strategic decisions that need to be taken.
Of course, with challenges also come opportunities.
- For managers and business owners to review their role and what this means in relation to the team and productivity
- To forge a new, stronger relationship with the team
- To re-generate a more positive culture
- To harness new ideas and ways of working to strengthen the organisation for the future
The challenge of course, is how to maximise those opportunities in the face of what are complex business and organisational landscapes. How do you balance the need for honesty, whilst giving your teams the support they need?
The answer lies in questions. This will be no surprise to many of you that by this, I mean taking a coaching approach.
I know from personal experience that this can be scary. After all, we may not get the answer we would like! I’ve certainly worked with some people in my remote past whom I would have quailed to ask for fear of opening the inevitable humongous can of worms that would follow. With that comes the ostrich approach to management. You know the one – asking the cheery, ‘How is everyone today? All well? Oh, good!’, whilst departing the room at a rate of knots. But at least you asked didn’t you?
Nowadays thankfully, I know better. Asking meaningful questions doesn't mean throwing yourself to the lions, then being left in a position where you can’t possibly deliver on the answer. Instead this involves employee engagement in its truest sense, where everyone is supported to take appropriate responsibility for seeking solutions.
Often our first response is to jump in and ‘do the right thing’ like some managerial Tigger, who is inevitably left wondering, ‘What happened there?’ Instead, we’re talking about a more consultative approach. Coaching isn’t about giving everyone what they ask for – the needs of the business must come first, after all, that’s why you’re all there.
Ask yourself and your team the following coaching questions to help understand what’s really needed:
- What is and isn’t working for you right now?
- How would you prefer things to be in an ideal world?
- What do you need to be productive and well at work?
- What are your main challenges right now?
- What do you foresee your challenges to be in the short/medium and long term?
Then follow up with:
- What would help right now?
- What can you change in your practice or way you’re approaching things that would help?
- What practical measures can you, the team, or the organisation put in place?
- What support do you need, from whom and how often?
- How can you provide support to others?
- How will you recognise that things are not working in future?
The obvious approach is for managers to schedule dedicated one-to-one time with employees on a regular basis. The solution for one employee, may not be right for another, but again this is something you can agree on individually.
Another way to embed a solution-focused attitude within the team is through implementing Team Coaching. This is an extremely effective tool in times of change and uncertainty. The team can work out the above issues, supporting each other and taking responsibility for finding and implementing the solutions. It’s also a powerful way to build accountability.
Either way, taking a coaching approach does involve an amount of courage for any business owner or manager, but the positive benefits for the team and business or organisation will be considerable and will far outweigh the costs and anxiety of being an ostrich.
If you'd like to find out more about Team Coaching, get in touch.
For an informal, no-obligation chat about how we can help you, call us on 07714 855757, or email [email protected].
Karen Amos is an executive coach and founder of BrightBird Coaching & Training. She supports business owners and managers who are feeling the pressure, to get the best out of themselves and their teams. She brings a practical, down-to-earth approach to improving working lives through better leadership, communication and working relationships.
Professional Fatigue – what to do when you can’t even reach your bootstraps…
Professional Fatigue – what to do when you can’t even reach your bootstraps…
By Karen Amos
‘Fatigue’ seems to be the word of the moment. I’m hearing it everywhere. From managers, business owners, workers, head teachers and parents. I usually come into the bracket of positive, or at least pragmatic in the face of challenge (to the consternation of the nay-sayers!), but even I’ve succumbed to bouts of negativity and fatigue in the last week or so.
Some of the most positive, chilled out people I know have told me they don’t recognise or even like the person they are at the moment – they’re fractious, complaining, negative, angry… The fact is people are exhausted – mentally and emotionally drained.
So what’s happened to cause this? It’s not that long ago that everyone was lauding the positive ‘New Normal’, of a slower, kinder pace of life and this is what they were going to take forward from now on.
There’s probably no single reason for these feelings, but here are a few possible causes. Of course, being a coach, this isn't just a moan-fest, so I've also included some first steps and coaching questions to lift us out of this situation.
Change:
Change is mentally and emotionally challenging at any time, but we’ve had relentless change for over three months and there’s no sign of this letting up – which brings…
Uncertainty:
We have no idea what’s coming next. Is it right to be optimistic? What if we are and our hopes are dashed? How long will this situation go on for? The questions are endless and often unanswerable.
Responsibility:
Responsibility can be both personal and collective. People working in positions of responsibility know the day to day challenges they face around the wellbeing of their staff and stakeholders, but now the potentially catastrophic effect of their decisions, both physically and financially, is front and centre.
Constant giving of support can leave personal reserves depleted, particularly when there are difficult decisions to be made around working conditions and employment.
Environment:
Most people now have a clear idea on where they sit on the ‘homeworking/office working’ spectrum. Many have recognised their needs aren’t been met when solely working from home, particularly if they’re child-wrangling/home-educating at the same time. Virtual office ‘quiz nights’, simply can’t replace the required level of social interactions for those who need this.
Lack of control:
This has rightly been explored in detail throughout the pandemic. The issue is that the lack of control continues, not just at a government level, but also societally. We’re given rules to follow, but other people aren’t necessarily conforming and we have no control or even influence over their behaviour. This in turn introduces the issue of…
Personal Values:
This is our inner voice – the one that gives us direction in our lives and governs our decisions and behaviour. When other people behave in ways we don’t morally agree with, our emotional response can be extreme. This can quickly lead to feelings of anger, overwhelm, hopelessness and inevitably, exhaustion if we can’t reconcile these.
So, what to do?
Be Mindful:
This is often a necessary first step in self-care.
This isn’t about gaining some kind of Nirvana-like state, but merely acknowledging and being aware of how you’re feeling. It’s not always easy to admit, even to yourself, that you’re behaving or thinking in a way you don’t like, that may not fit with your values.
Hit the pause button and take a few minutes out, however briefly, to think about what's going on for you right now. Accept that it’s natural and normal in the current circumstances and that it won’t be permanent.
Reflect:
On what’s causing your fatigue?
Try this coaching question:
Identify what the underlying reasons are. There will likely be at least a couple. Finding and isolating the cause will help put a brake on your internal mental hamster-wheel, bringing some rational thinking into the equation. You then have a starting point to begin taking practical steps to resolve some of these.
We’ll look at more tips and coaching questions to improve your wellbeing and productivity in our next blog.
If you would like to find out more about how you and your teams can improve their time management and productivity, whilst minimising stress and overwhelm, check out our new Positive and Productive online programme.
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For an informal, no-obligation chat about how we can help you, call us on 07714 855757, or email [email protected].
Karen Amos is an executive coach and founder of BrightBird Coaching & Training. She supports business owners and managers who are feeling the pressure, to get the best out of themselves and their teams. She brings a practical, down-to-earth approach to improving working lives through better leadership, communication and working relationships.
The End of the Honeymoon Period... Now What...?
The End of the Honeymoon Period... Now What...?
By Karen Amos
A few weeks ago I wrote a post describing workplaces as being in the ‘honeymoon period’ of dealing with the pandemic. Whilst this seemed incongruous in terms of the crisis that was occuring, there was by and large, a strong sense of the Blitz spirit of ‘we’re all in this together’.
I’d suggest we’re now well and truly out of that honeymoon period. Thinking and behaviour is becoming fractured and in many cases, fractious.
In the workplace, tensions are rising. Obviously so in places like schools, who are pulled in many directions, both practically and ethically, but also elsewhere. Some people are returning to work, whilst others remain on furlough. Pressure heaps upon managers and business owners to justify their decisions and reconcile these with staff teams. Performance and behaviour management issues are back on the table.
On top of this, many of us are experiencing an unwelcome return to a more frenetic pace of life and trying to work out how to resist being dragged back into old, unproductive ways of working.
It sounds messy and in many cases it is. So, what to do?
I believe this is the kind of situation where coaching as an approach comes into its own. Leading teams is challenging at the best of times, but increasingly so when tensions run high and staff are spread over numerous locations.
Individual coaching has obvious benefits – helping the person to address the particular difficulties they are facing.
Team coaching however, is a perfect answer to many of the issues businesses and organisations face right now. Teams need to build a new identity, find ways to solve emerging issues and build accountability, responsibility and equity when the ‘workplace’ can mean many things.
Team Coaching brings an opportunity for teams to challenge themselves and own the situation they find themselves in – whether management, project, function or operational teams. It also acts as a development tool to enable team members to take responsibility for problem-solving within the workplace. This takes away the excuses and expectations that it’s the manager’s responsibility to provide all the answers.
So, whilst it’s no magic wand, Team Coaching really can provide the road map for businesses and organisations to negotiate their way out of this unchartered territory we find ourselves in – moving out of the honeymoon period to longer-term, more harmonious working relationships.
If you would like to book team coaching for your business, organisation or school, or would like an informal, no-obligation chat about how this can work for you, call us on 07714 855757, or email [email protected].
You can find out more at https://brightbird.wordifysites.com/services/training-courses/
Karen Amos is an executive coach and founder of BrightBird Coaching & Training. She supports business owners and managers to get the best out of themselves and their teams. She brings a practical, down-to-earth approach to improving working lives through better leadership, communication and working relationships.