Ensure that staff have support available to them and someone to speak to if things become overwhelming.
And if you're an evolved leader who can muster empathy and concern for the individual, can you say that for every leader in your organisation? Or everyone you’ve worked with in the past? We speak more openly about mental health challenges and understand them better in today's society than we did more than a quarter century ago, when Whitfield had his accident. Themakes it increasingly important for leaders and colleagues to stop and consider that, when they have an emotional response to another’s actions, something more than meets they eye might be gong on with the person.
Make sure that support is available, even before issues arise. Ensure that you have a strong mentoring programme in place, so that staff members have ongoing availability to open up confidentially, and encourage peer mastermind groups and action learning sets. Check in and enjoy small talk. Don’t go direct to the agenda at a team or individual meeting. Ask others how they are and what’s happening in their lives at the moment, encouraging them to expand when they answer. “I’m fine” isn’t enough. This is particularly important when on remote calls, when we tend to go to the agenda far more quickly than we do when we meet in person.