lean back to be happy

​Do you feel happy at work?  I suspect the majority of people who read this blog will say no.  Why is that?
Could it be a lack of support?  A lack of control over your work?  A lack of meaningful purpose in the work that you do?   It is the lack of something that makes for an unhappy workplace.  And that lack leads to negativity, to depression, to stress and poor mental health.  As a leader, do you notice this in your workplace, in your teams?  Do you notice it in yourself?  What can you do about it?

Sheryl Sandberg said famously that, women in particular, need to Lean In if they are to lead.  In this instance, perhaps we need to Lean Back.

I follow Prof Cooper and Prof Robertson who have considerable knowledge and expertise in mental health and well-being.  They’ve undertaken numerous surveys into what makes a workplace a happy one.  The statistics are striking.  When it comes to deciding who’s responsible for being happy, for well-being at work, 78% believe that their well-being is a joint responsibility between the organisation and themselves. 

I spent time with a colleague thinking about happiness in the workplace as a result of reading the research on what makes a good workplace.  Three things came to mind, and perhaps they may be the same things that come to yours. 

The individual in a happy workplace
The first is about the individual.  What is it about me that makes me happy or unhappy?  We know that there is difference in our teams.  Difference in terms of background, experiences, skills, abilities, personality, desires, motivation.  We are also full of ‘difference’.  When young, we are too busy living to reflect on who we are.  Reflection comes with age.  Age comes with a greater understanding of the myriad of elements that make us.  Don’t wait for age, have wisdom when you’re young too.  Question your assumptions.  Test out the truth of your assumptions.  Open your mind to the possibility that you are wrong. When you recognise untrue assumptions it liberates you – and others.

The leader in a happy workplace
Now that you’ve tested your assumptions about yourself, discovered that you can do things differently, creatively, question your assumptions about those in your team.  Do you recognise what makes for an unhappy workplace for each individual?  Use your leadership skills to open up a conversation.  Let them know you appreciate their efforts. Give them a sense of control over their own work goals.  Here are the 4Rs that we promote in our Retreat.

1. Have time to Relax.  Relaxation of the body and mind allows for better thinking. 
2. Give time to Reflect.  Teach people how to reflect.  It doesn’t come easily to us all.  Allowing an environment where people can figure out who they are, what they are doing and why, promotes good thinking. 
3. Give people the opportunity to Renew.  Renew their spirits, renew their motivation, renew their thinking.
4. Generate an environment where they can Return. They will be different.  The team needs to know that, welcome their new thinking, see the possibility in new thoughts.  They will need nurturing.  It can be exciting when things are done differently but it can also be scary.  Things will not always work to plan but when nurtured, lessons are learnt and things move forward positively.

​As a leader then you need to look at the work environment in the round.  It is a complex, integrated system and you need clarity of thought, time to think and creatively explore that system to understand it.  That’s what I love about the Thinking Environment and Time to Think, it gives people the skills to be able to do that.

The organisation as a happy workplace
This is the time to test the system.  Look at the culture of the organisation.  Ensure policies and procedures support, not hinder, a good working environment.  Take active steps to relieve stress.  Support your leaders in supporting their teams.  Help them build resilience.

Resilience, the magic element?
There are days when we can cope, days when the same thing can tip us over the edge.  Resilience helps to protect our psychological well-being.  Resilience helps us to deal with the stresses that surround us.  Resilience is built when we have social support.  As an organisation put in place policies and procedures that support a culture of resilience.  And not pay lip service to resilience, using it as a phrase to trot because pressures are never-ending. Just look at the NHS today.  I know only too well from the leadership intervention work I do with the NHS, the burn out that occurs when the onus is laid solely onto the individual to be resilient.  Resilience needs to be the warp and the weft of the organisation. 
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So, let’s go from a lack of something, to an abundance.  An abundance of togetherness, of motivation, of commitment, of ownership. Celebrate abundance in a happy workplace.  And if you want to experience abundance for yourself, come to our Retreat. Relax, Reflect, Renew, Return. Through our exclusive four-phase cycle you will be given the space to be, to think, and explore. And be happy at work.