TIP 1. REMEMBER, WE’RE ALL HUMANS

Humans are mammals. And mammals need a community to thrive, because the community is where mammals nurture and care for each other. They make each other feel valued, safe and seen. The most successful leaders create an authentic sense of community within their workplace. So embrace being human and create a workplace that encourages and supports your team to be humans as well.

TIP 2. COMMIT TO SELF CARE

You absolutely must take care of your mental, emotional and physical health in order to perform well at work and to set an example for your team. Schedule the required time into your calendar and treat it as a non-negotiable. You cannot reach your potential as a leader without being the best human that you can be. This concept should be promoted among your staff.

TIP 3. CHECK THE ENVIRNOMENT YOU’RE CREATING

We all mirror the environment we are in so it’s important to ensure the workplace environment you’re creating is one that encourages and supports your team to feel comfortable being human and living a full life (outside of work). This means you need to stop contacting your team outside work hours. It also means you need to take time off when you are sick (and encourage your team to do the same).

Consider introducing a basic Vagus Nerve Breathing exercise into your workday to speed up meetings and streamline efficiencies. The technique takes just a couple of minutes to do, and will calm your emotional centre and get your parasympathetic nervous system (i.e. your cognitive function) working higher, faster and more efficiently. It’s a great way to lead into effective and quick team meetings.

TIP 4. EMBRACE EMPATHY

Empathy is about connection. It’s essentially looking someone in the eye and saying to them “Hi. I genuinely see you.” And when someone feels truly seen by another, the effect can be powerful. Imagine how much better your team will perform when they feel truly seen.

In your regular meetings with employees (you have these, don’t you?), actively listen to what they have to say. Put yourself in their shoes. This doesn’t mean agreeing with everything they say, it’s more about doing your best to understand their motivations.

With empathy, you’ll be creating an environment that feels safe. And when employees feel safe and supported, you are more likely to receive the information you need to make better informed decisions. You’ll save money, time, resources and get a jump on any potential problems that may be headed your way. Plus you’ll more easily learn of the goals, dreams, desires of each of your team members – information that can help ensure they are doing the jobs most suited to them, to the benefit of your business.

By creating and sustaining a workplace culture that encourages and supports humans to behave like humans, you’re more likely to see superhuman results from the performance of your team. Good luck! ®

This article was written by Flic Manning and first appeared on FITREC's Raising the Bar here.