Employees are demanding better responses to mental health needs and work-life balance and, as a result, savvy leaders are overhauling their approach to employee wellness.
Smart leaders are responding to mental health
Are you wanting to create a high-retention, high-performance, work culture? Who isn’t?! Now, more than ever, it’s critical to have a leadership team that is dedicated to upping their game when it comes to employee wellness.
An effective approach to work-life balance and mental health is a must because it directly impacts your ability to attract and retain talent. It’s an employee market right now and The Great Resignation is empowering employees to demand more robust and effective mental health solutions and this “new psychology” of the workplace is, as a result, sparking a leadership renaissance.
“The trauma-informed leadership training was the most pivotal part of my year . . . and it’s changed the way I look at leadership.”
– John McCarthy
A conversation with CEO and leader John McCarthy
I recently had a conversation with John McCarthy, entrepreneur, consultant, coach, and author of The Purpose Partner about his takeways from our Trauma-Informed Leadership course. The talk got all my synapses firing! I particularly loved his story of one really out-of-the-box idea that helped employees “master their best life” – not just master their work life.
one really out of the box idea: Help employees master their best life, not just master their work life.
Three key takeaways from this C-level leader
I hope you’ll have a chance to watch the full interview (here’s the link), but in the meantime, here are some highlights:
1
Delivering a high-retention, high-performance work culture – every day:
- It’s about creating a day-to-day culture where co-workers and colleagues know you value them, not just their ability. It’s about a team that knows every one of their co-workers brings their life stressors to work and takes their work stressors home – and has the awareness and skill to create felt safety anyway. Authenticity. Empathy. Listening with warmth and respect. Practicing self-care and overtly encouraging it in others. Recognizing and responding well to stress and trauma in the workplace. Trauma-informed meetings and performance reviews. A physical and emotional environment that promotes equity and psychological safety. These are skills that can be used to create a high-retention, high-performance work culture – each and every day.
2
Taking care of yourself so you can take care of your people:
- John’s journey of making his own self-care a top priority in his life . . . changed his life. Learning during TFW’s Trauma-Informed Leadership course about the seven kinds of rest was definitely a game-changer for John. After leading his business and helping others lead theirs through the pandemic, John – a self-proclaimed “Type A doer” – realized “how empty I was.” After training John declared, “I know what rest and restoration looks like for me. I now had the power to navigate the boundaries I needed to put around my life to be healthier – and to be a healthier leader – so then I could lead others toward that, as well.” John admits he is a better boss, a better coach and consultant, and confesses his wife would say he’s even a better husband and father.
3
Helping your people “master their best life”:
- The new psychology of the workplace is no longer about Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation, where offering your people opportunities to be “master’s of their professional life” motivates them and leads to job satisfaction. (I’m a big fan of Herzberg and his theory was a significant part of my doctoral dissertation. But, I’m recognizing the titanic shift over the last couple years perhaps leaves it wanting.) With the lines of work life and personal life continually being blurred, people long for a workplace that helps them be “masters of their best life” – period. The workplace is a significant part of life, but no longer the only or even primary one. The Great Resignation has created a new normal in the workplace.
Watch the interview and learn more
John’s is such a compelling conversation – and his genuineness and energy are contagious. I hope you’ll get a chance to watch the full interview and I, personally, am looking forward to our paths crossing many more times in the future!
And, as always, if you want to learn more about training and how it can help you reframe your approach to employee wellness, contact Brian Bertke at brianbertke@traumafreeworld.org to learn more.
