When you continue to face weariness: 3 actions to sustain focus
Empathy. I have written about this many times before as an action most managers need to take and a skill most of us need to develop. I have seen shifts towards a more empathetic work culture in terms of how people manage, how organizations are setting policies, and how people are generally shoring each other up.
But people are tired. I admit, for myself, I embraced the new way of working last year and have been following through on a lot of new commitments I made for myself by the end of this year. As we round into Fall, my favorite season, I am feeling a little weary. I am not disengaged; in fact, I remain optimistic for the impact we can have in our jobs but I feel like that pair of jeans that starts to fray at the bottom hem. They still fit and look good but there are little signs of wear and tear.
Fall is a time of change but this particular Fall feels a little different. We love colored leaves, cooler weather, football, and all things Pumpkin Spice (although I draw the line at Pumpkin Cheerios and Pumpkin M&Ms). But most of us don’t like cold rain, shorter daylight hours, and some of the results from our current environment.
Many of us expected to be returning to the office in some capacity next week. Some of us are and some of us are far away from that depending on our location. We have embraced technology to keep connected but it falls slightly short of face-to-face conversations and brainstorming sessions. Our workloads are increasing due to people leaving or retiring from the organization. Children are returning to school or going off to college, which looks very different than in the past. Some of us may be experiencing health issues related to COVID or something completely different.
I have read a few articles lately that many of us are finding it difficult to continue to be empathetic and compassionate. I suppose it should not be such an effort to be understanding every day; that is how we should be. However, we are all flexing new muscles that are not temporary but the new way we should be now and in the future. I think about my friends who are teachers and nurses. They are exhausted and have to expend effort to ensure they approach every student and patient with kindness and patience. If they can do it, we can do it.
We have been here before — people getting worn out. This time is different. This time we all have to dig deep to find how to keep going in a positive direction. We are used to facing obstacles and overcoming them. But, what do we do when the obstacles keep appearing and are getting taller or wider? What do we do when our strategies work somewhat but we need to find other, newer ways to push through? How do we sustain during this time of exhaustion?
Companies are getting creative with time off, benefits, mental health days, counseling, and even small bonuses. All of this is very helpful. I think the role of the manager has become even more critical. Being a manager has been an under-appreciated yet important role but, now, more than ever, the manager is that essential cord to keep the team connected to the job, vision, organization, and each other.
I don’t have a long list of actions to take in these times. I have covered many ways to help your teams through downtimes, crises, fogs, overwhelm, and other conditions. Today, I am focused on three ways to push through and focus. We all know less is more and it couldn’t be more true today.
Feedback, connection, and care need to be at the center.
More than ever, team meetings and one-on-one meetings are not wasted blocks on our calendars but are essential for productivity and engagement. If you don’t know how to have these meetings, read my past blogs on both of these topics: Team meetings and One-on-one meetings.
Reviewing work, priorities, and upcoming changes will help people stay connected to the bigger organization, which helps them feel like they belong. Giving and being open to receiving feedback as a manager will not only help people feel cared about but will help them grow. Engagement comes by having growth opportunities. There is no better way to help someone grow than through feedback — positive reinforcement of behaviors they should continue and constructive feedback to help people think about doing something differently. Celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and successes at work and outside of work will help people feel cared about.
Focus on big picture connection, feedback, and care. Keeping these three at the center will have the most impact on your team.
Protect your time and your team’s time.
Time has always been challenging to manage but we need to go into protection mode to remain productive and motivated. The best way to protect time is by prioritizing the work we do. Ask yourself two main questions:
1) What are our top 3-5 objectives as a team? (This might be hard to pick 3-5 but force yourself to do so.)
2) From that, what are our top 5 priorities that align with those objectives? (This will be even harder but challenge yourself to pick just five.)
Compare your current list of projects, processes, and tasks for the team to these lists. Do they all fit? Do any of them not fit? If so, stop them for now. I know this may not be so simple but if you’re not having priorities conversations with your leadership right now, you should be. As people leave, you cannot absorb more and more. Even sponges become water-logged. Don’t become bloated with too much work. Spend your time quantifying time spent by your team on current work to demonstrate a need for either less work, more resources, or some combination. Staying balanced is critical to staying sane.
Manage pressure to manage stress.
Stress can result from many areas of our lives. Asking people to compartmentalize these days is an unrealistic request. As a manager, one of your jobs is to help manage pressure. Pressure comes from unrealistic deadlines, scope, and results. Kick off every project, process, and task to agree and document the scope, timeframe, and results desired. Even today, I see this step getting skipped. I have found myself skipping this step to get the work done so we can move onto the next item up for bid.
Don’t skip the documentation step especially today. Documentation can help counter pressure. Pull it out when a leader asks you to add to the scope or compress a deadline. Use that document as a way to discuss how much pressure this will put on the team. Documentation and data are our best line of defense against pressure.
If you feel like you are being squeezed and you don’t have much gas left in the tank, you are not alone. There can be days where you feel like it may be impossible to be productive today. Always cut yourself some slack but think about the three main areas above.
Don’t take on the world right now. Most of us don’t have the energy to do so. We can still be engaged and successful if we focus on what matters — our top 5 priorities — and minimize the rest of the noise around them.