Have you considered the cost and impact that not managing your health and well-being has on your teams?

I never really thought about it until one of my direct reports suddenly wound up in the hospital with a heart issue. He ended up having a stint put in, but it left his department scrambling. I dove in to help and asked for their core processes and what was handed to me were training manuals. They were complex and contained a lot of industry jargon I just didn’t understand.

I was basically left with a stack of documents, and little or no access to make a meaningful impact. I was unable to quickly jump in and help. That was not only frustrating for me but for the entire team. It left them overwhelmed and under staffed.

Be prepared and proactive

What this taught me was to be prepared and proactive. I made a list by department of everything I am involved in (too many to list here) and thought what would happen if I was taken out? Who could pick up and ensure the velocity of the business moved forward without missing a beat? I broke it down in smaller chunks and reviewed, updated and simplified the processes such that anyone could come and pick up where I left off. I reviewed the organizational chart and confirmed I built the right team and didn’t have a gap in mission critical roles.

That was only one piece of it. What it really got me thinking about was, what am I doing on a daily basis to be the example of health and well being to the team? Am I a positive example of taking care of yourself and not stepping over yourself? It turned out I was not being proactive enough. I was skipping the gym. I was working so much I missed family dinners. I stopped all that and got back to the roots of what I love about living in the city. I walk the lake, I experience the city with family and friends without guilt of walking away from my computer. I refuse to continue in a trap where I believed I’m the only one who can do something. Build a team they said, so I did and now I can rely on them to help me continue to grow.

Hire smart

It’s important to hire smart, talented team members such that the greater good can climb the mountain with you. By your example each one can manage their health and well being on the front end such that time out with the occasional injury or illness won’t take the entire team out.

I am, by shear nature of my role, an example to the team whether I want to be or not. So, I model what I want to see in my team and encourage and empower the team to participate in what they believe will be meaningful for them.

As an organization we host mindfulness seminars, encourage meditation and reflection, we provide meaningful vacation/PTO time off to recharge batteries and this allows our employees to thrive.

As a fully remote team one of our employees moved west to avoid the cold weather of the midwest to improve a pre-existing condition. This not only improved her life but her work performance. She is engaged, happy and thriving more than I have ever seen before. THAT made me proud. That we can offer that to our staff and in the short/long term it benefits the company.

As you contemplate what next steps you want to take think how technology can take things off your plate and simplify your meetings. Meetings.io^® wants to help make your life better by removing the complexity of connecting with your team.

Written by
Kathy Mayfield