I have read many articles, blog posts and books on current trends in leadership. There is so much out there that it is difficult to select something with a new angle, a fresh approach. What does come up over and over is the need to invest in employee wellbeing. It is not new, and it is not fresh, but it is a loud honking horn that cannot be ignored. Yes, we are in World Mental Health Month too which has helped magnify the urgency.
Everyone is tired, in distress of some kind, dealing with loss, fending off fears and feeling overwhelmed. Managing your own state is challenging enough, supporting those of your employees means you have to be particularly emotionally resilient, super emotionally fit.
The C of the A, B, C of life is Choose love – always. I bet that made you cringe. Choose love? Didn’t that hippie approach go out in the 1970’s? We’re in 2021 for pete’s sake. Eyeroll.
Yes, we are in 2021. We may not be protesting against the Vietnam war, or segregation but we could be smoking marijuana to calm our nerves and going vegan to save the planet.
Love in 2021
To choose love in the 2021 context means to choose to be compassionate, empathetic, embracing difference, accommodating diversity and flexibility while having firm boundaries and moderated expectations.
It means listening, deeply, to yourself, to your body, to your gut. Yes, your gut. It means reconnecting to your body’s intelligence and encouraging others to rebuild this ability too.
It means looking out for those that work with and for you, i.e. building employee wellbeing into your strategy. Handing it over to your EAP (employee assistance provider) may not cut it. It needs to be driven and embodied at executive level in order to be followed and modelled by the rest of the workforce.
Can you embody it?
Therein lies the real challenge. It’s easy doing this stuff at arms’ length. It’s not so easy to embody it. Live it. But, like everything in leadership, it starts with me. It starts with you. I think an emotionally resilient leader chooses love.
Can you choose love?
Always?
For more information on how to choose love, reconnect to your body’s intelligence and build employee wellbeing into your strategy, let’s connect.
About the author
5th Place
5th Place is a dynamic organization that's passionate about emotional fitness. We're the creators of Shape of Emotion, a revolutionary tool that's changing the way we understand and manage our emotions. But we're not just about theory - we're about practical, tangible change.
We offer Emotional Fitness Classes and courses that help individuals, from children to adults, build emotional resilience and well-being. For our younger audience, we've created the Vibarealm, a vibrant universe that encourages a healthier interaction with emotions.
Join us on this journey to emotional fitness and let's make the world a better place together.