“If you brush you teeth at 8pm, you will stop eating”
There has been a lot of talk about how we’re “all in the same boat” during the current global crisis. Or that we’re “all in this together”.
But how many of you have noticed that doesn’t seem to quite be the case. Everyone is a bit different, and each of us will respond to a challenge like we’re facing in a different way.
This week, we spoke with our great partner Audrey McGibbon from GLWS – the Global Leadership Wellness Survey. And she doesn’t think we’re all in this together.
Some of their recent survey results of people across a range of client organisations show over 75% of respondents are struggling with their wellbeing. Seventy-five percent!
Those same results conclude that only 21% believe their leaders have a good grasp of mental health and how it impacts performance, and even worse – that barely 2% of respondents feel their leaders prioritise their own wellbeing.
How are we all so unwell?
Audrey explains that wellness is a formula of things that go into each person’s psyche, and that for every individual, the exact make-up of drivers, traits and focus areas will be different.
In other words, we’re all in the same storm together at the present moment in time, but we’re sailing around in different boats.
Think about that for a minute.
Same storm – different boats.
Same macro environment – different response patterns, concerns, ‘feelings’ and emotional wellbeing.
Now consider how that might impact, say, a project management team who’s project is currently on-hold for an indefinite period. And who have been stood down due to this situation.
Some of these team players will be enjoying the down-time, hanging out with their families, cooking and reading…brushing up on old hobbies. Others might be in full-blown mortgage stress, financial meltdown, or fighting with their partner who they aren’t usually cooped up inside with 24/7. Still others may be internalising the macro drivers of fear and pointlessness – the “what does it all mean” side of the equation.
The more you think about it, the more you realise that Audrey is right.
Same storm – different boats.
We are not “all in this together” even though we sort of are. Complicated isn’t it?
So too is wellness. It takes time and effort to get your head around it. And it’s time and effort you must spend.
Until you give your own wellness (and that of others) sufficient thought and airplay, it will continue to drive you (and others) whether you like it or not. Surely then, it’s best to be more aware of it, and what you can do to foster it. To build purpose, resilience and authenticity, in your teams, staff, personal relationships, family life, everything you do.
GLWS focuses on a core framework of the following drivers:
- Authentic Relationships – our relationships with our family, friends, colleagues and community
- Meaning, Purpose & Direction – our overall sense of whether we are leading a ‘good and full life’ which holds meaning and purpose for us
- Resilience & Equanimity – our inner strength and emotional evenness
- Vitality & Energy – our physical health, nutrition, exercise and sleep
- Balance & Boundaries – our success in balancing the various demands placed on us in all aspects of our life
- Intellectual Engagement & Flow – our intrinsic interest and focus in the work we do
Think about how just one – Balance & Boundaries – has been impacted by work-from-home arrangements during lockdown and Covid prevention strategies currently in place around the world. Without an awareness of the impact a dramatic change can wreak on just this one area, you leave yourself and your team to breakdowns in wellness.
And breakdowns in wellness can lead to exactly that – breakdowns.
Our full webinar with Audrey is available here:
And don’t forget to brush your teeth after dinner!
You can reach out to GLWS via the logo below, or get in touch with us.
