Have you ever heard the phrase ‘people don’t leave jobs they leave managers’? It’s often true that what drives employees away is not necessarily the work, but the working environment. And Daniel Pink tells us in Drive that autonomy and purpose are even more crucial to motivation than money. So what does that mean? Leaders today need to empower and engage their employees and create an environment that will allow them to thrive.
Practicing Thoughtfully Fit® Leadership
Being Thoughtfully Fit® can certainly help you build stronger relationships in your personal life, but it has a great role to play in your professional life as well. By bringing in some of the core concepts, you can help foster improved communication, help employees learn to deal with conflict, and create work relationships that are based on trust and respect. Below you will find four steps to get you started on the path to being a Thoughtfully Fit leader.
Pause. Think. Act.
This is the core of Thoughtfully Fit for a reason! While it can certainly help you stay calm and respond in a more thoughtful manner to challenging behavior in the workplace, it can also encourage problem solving. Often we’re moving so fast that we overlook solutions and opportunities, simply because we don’t have any space in our brains (or calendars).
Lead with Coaching (Not Solving!)
As you’ve heard me say a million times, coaching holds YOU to be the expert in your own life. Well, you can also allow people to be the expert in their own job! Instead of jumping to offer them solutions, ask careful questions, and encourage them to explore the possibilities. Over time, you’ll find they get better at fixing their own issues (and knock on your door less!). This also allows them to feel ownership, which is great for both engagement and retention.
Conduct Balanced Conversations
Things won’t always be easy, and it’s important to address conflict in an open, healthy way. By learning to have conversations that allow you to speak your truth and listen with compassion, you’ll be able to address the drama head-on before things get out of hand. BALANCED conversations also require empathy and an appreciation for the other person’s perspective. However, by understanding the other person’s wants and needs and balancing them with your own, you have a much better chance of getting to win-win.
Accept Differences
The truth is great minds don’t always think alike! There is bound to be behavior in the workplace that you don’t like or don’t understand. However, sometimes your best bet is not to judge or blame, but accept what is. Admittedly, this can be a stretch, but practicing FLEXIBILITY helps you appreciate that others have different styles so you can identify ways you can work together. It also helps to accept your role in conflict, and self manage to ensure that you are responding thoughtfully.
Think your team might benefit from Thoughtfully Fit training?
Contact us to learn more about bringing a workshop series to your company.
