People are bringing more and more anxiety and restlessness to work, and that’s not surprising.
Recent political shifts in Western societies have increased the fear for democracy and human rights.
AND
Extreme weather events have been shaking people up for a while now, creating fear for the future. The closer to our homes, the more anxiety these events breed.
How anxiety impacts your team
This general anxiety impacts people’s state of mind, and they cannot switch it off for work. It plays in the background all day long, sapping energy, optimism, and good will.
Leaders in organisations cannot overlook how a depleted mind impacts the
- capacity to relate to one another with patience, perspective, and kindness
- ability to solve problems in creative ways
- resilience to face setbacks and uncertainty
These three things are preconditions for working as teams.
As a leader you must face it head on
To keep organisations effective, leaders need to make space for what’s going on under the surface. Great leaders model awareness and emotional regulation. They hold space for those who are struggling, rather than labeling them as “difficult”.
Normalising people’s experience of the world is soothing for ruffled nervous systems.
3 simple things you can do
- Name and normalise the low level anxiety that many people experience in today’s world.
- Name and normalise how this anxiety impacts people’s thoughts and behaviours
- Make a commitment to tending to relationship. In gentle connection to one another, we can catch ourselves and co-regulate each other
Start small, ease yourself into your new leadership role
While simple, this might take courage. In fact, for many leaders this is a big stretch. But with a little practice each day, you can turn leading people with kind attunement into second nature.
The trick is to experiment your way into your new leadership style with small and safe steps. Start with 1 to 1 conversations. Then slowly move to small group conversations.
The world needs more leaning into one another and less division. As a leader, it is your responsibility to create a space where that is easily possible.
Get help if you need it
Do you need help in figuring out how you can help your team and colleagues to co-regulate and bounce back to their best selves? Reach out for coaching and leadership development.
