Throughout 2021 I have hosted Luminous Coffee Conversations, and after every one of these, I leave feeling so energized and with so many new insights from these amazing leaders.
In one particular session, I wanted to ignite a conversation that went against the grain. It will not have escaped you that in the press, they are talking about ‘the great resignation’. In my HR and leadership circles, embers are being fanned and there is genuine fear and concern around resourcing and keeping top talent.
But what’s the challenge if we keep fanning these embers? They turn into flames and become a self-fulfilling prophecy!
So, I wanted to pose some questions that could help us as leaders become more intentional about the messages we are putting out there right now to our teams. How do we shift perspectives and have people take responsibility for re-committing back into their roles and environments and finding meaning in them again…
Below are the questions and some great ideas that came up around how to activate this for yourself and your teams right now.
What would it take to finish the year strong?
- Focus on the big rocks – the top 3 things that will help you finish strong
- Make one of those rocks ‘self-care’ and ask yourself what do I need to be doing to show up as the best version of me, as energy levels are low
- Set up some boundaries around this – it may be tough initially to go through the process (just like a boxing or HITT class), but afterwards this is where the growth happens!
- If everything you have to do is keeping you up at night, get a journal by your bed and write things out – get a plan on paper
How do you plan to rest hard over the holidays?
- Put the time in the diary now and be realistic about how long you need to recharge – give yourself permission to take it
- Don’t let other people’s fires or needs erode into the edges of your holiday
- Communicate to the people that need to know this
- Not touching emails for like three weeks
- Making a conscious effort to take the break and not use that time to research or think about things related to work, booking somewhere with poor wifi helps!
- Start getting a self-care routine NOW like a morning hour of power so you are not completely exhausted by your holidays and you can enjoy it!
One final thought that came up that I have also been hearing in the coaching room….everyone is feeling the pressure to lock in catch-ups now many of us are out of lockdown.
People are feeling a bit overwhelmed by this as everyone is so tired and fatigued. They have been using their weekends to date to recover but with social activities coming back in this recharge is not always happening. Also, be mindful of how much energy you have and who you are giving your energy to…
Ultimately, try not to put the pressure on to see everyone before Christmas and make plans also in the new year. That way you can still use your weekends to re-charge.
As always I round out the session by posing a question to connect with yourselves and ripple out this positive connection.
The question was:
What do you feel you have gained from the experience of the last three months?
So many people have found this time challenging, but I think some goodness has also come from it…I was blown away by the answers in the room like ‘killed my FOMO’, learnt to focus my energy on the right things, built my knowledge bank….
Perhaps you would like to take a moment to reflect on this question. Love to hear your thoughts – please email me <link> and let me know.
We are rounding out the Luminous Coffee Conversations with a Masterclass on the 9th of December…..where we will take a moment to review and wrap the year. We’d love to see you there!
