Conditions in our teams can sometimes lead to negative stress. You might have
a difficult personality, perhaps you've got a big strategic shift coming and you're not sure
how that's going to go down, perhaps there's a really serious misalignment and lying awake at
night wondering about these things is surely not good for your health and your well-being, right?
And that's what a lot of us tend to think - that's the prevailing view
around stress, but as the leader of your team this is something that we need to get our heads around
because we are so central to creating the conditions for our teams.
So if you want to improve the workplace - well their well-being in your workplace,
then one of the first places to start is to work out how to improve your own well-being.
And if you're looking for a way to do that then I have some great research for you
from the 'New Scientist'. But it reminded me of a situation in my early 20's when I was talking with
a successful IT professional about his work and life, and he seemed incredibly busy. He was also
a member of band and he had community commitments. And I pressed him on this, but he said that he
wouldn't change a thing - he loves everything, that he loved everything that he was doing
and he didn't feel stressed by it. And it really stuck with me
and I was reminded of that while I was reading this research
from December 5th 2020 - if you're looking for that - and the researcher was in Norway looking at
mindsets around winter, and she was specifically interested in the mindset that copes with stress
in Norway they have some of the longest winters in the world with two months of darkness and
incredible extreme temperatures. But they also have one of the lowest rates of seasonal affective
disorder (SAD) or wintertime depression, which you may already know about. And basically they
love winter - they view winter quite differently. They have a really positive mindset on it,
that it's a cozy time, that it's time for recreation, for catching up with friends,
for watching the fascinating changes happening in nature. And so this researcher points out that the
way we see stress has a huge impact on our mental well-being, and if we see it as positive then it
becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. So there's a study in the U.S where 30,000 people were given
a survey and the people who had experienced more stress, but viewed it as 'not damaging'
experienced better outcomes than people who had less stress, but perceived it as 'damaging'.
So the perception made all the difference in the world. The circumstances were still there,
but that mindset that we have about that negative stress impacts us so strongly and so powerfully.
So what can we do? You can be an incredible influence on your team through some subtle
reframes "Moaning" reinforces the negative mindset, those emotions are contagious.
So instead hold back on that, and look for things that you can control, you can influence,
and embrace those small wins. If your team is experiencing high degrees of stress - you
don't want to discount those experiences, but when you talk about your own -be an ambassador
for good stress. There's usually opportunity in the middle of it - those silver linings. What's
something that's about reconnecting with what's important to you - perhaps learning a new skill,
perhaps having the time to reset. You might want to also take some initiative to
love your team just that little bit more. What can you do with what's within your influence,
within your power of control to have a positive impact on them, and you will feel less stressed
by your team. There's a great quote from Adam Grant in The Originals, and he says, "Remember
that if you don't take the initiative, then the status quo will persist". So if you're ready to
transform your team then let's talk. You can take up a discovery call via the link below, talk soon!