Happy Valentine’s Day!!
At I2L, we celebrate love all year long because we know that cultivating our capacity to love forges a new Dimension of Possible for our profession.
When we can play in this place, this Dimension of Possible, we create deeper connection and mutual trust and have confidence in one another. This makes it easier to face an uncertain future together. Great possibility lives in the unknown. And we’ll only find it when love leads the way.
We create a new Dimension of Possible each time we choose to bring love to ourselves, others, and the work we do.
How will you bring the love to yourself and your team…not just today, but throughout the challenges of busy season?
Here are three ideas to help you show yourself and your team the love:
- Consciously invest your time and energy in ways that make you feel more confident, focused, and grounded.
- Help your team stay calm during the chaos of busy season.
- Do your part to create a healthy organizational culture.
You may be thinking these all sound great…but, how exactly can you do this? You’re just one person…a person who’s already very busy!
No worries, we’ve got your back. Read below for some how-to tips for each of these three ideas.
Our wish for you this Valentine’s Day and always is that you show the love by bringing more of YOU to your work and the world.
See you in the DoP,
How can I invest my time and energy to maximize both each day?
Be intentional and map it out!
Every morning, before you dive into email or the first project of your day, create a plan for how you’re going to invest your time and energy.
Clearly define your priorities by what’s most important for today and this week.
Practice noticing and asking yourself:
- Where’s my influence and control?
- Where can I have the most impact?
- What might I need to let go of?
This will help you shift your mindset to one that serves you better (we talked about this in more detail last month) Your mindset is your most powerful tool in creating the space and calm to be sustainably grounded and productive.
If you don’t have a plan, your energy and time will likely be scattered, and you’ll do more unconscious reacting rather than consciously responding. It’s easier to get sucked into the chaos of every urgent thing that comes at you if you don’t have a plan – and that’s when you’ll start to feel overwhelmed.
Instead, when you sit down and find focus, ground yourself and create a purposeful map, your days will feel more centered and productive, and you’ll be better able to support yourself and your team.
Does this sound good, but you’re still not sure how to turn this into a habit? We can help. Let’s connect.
How can I help keep my team calm amidst the chaos of busy season?
Start with empathy. Practicing empathy is about acknowledging people’s struggles, not minimizing or dismissing them, or even trying to fix their problems for them. Allow your people to be where they are, and simply be with them in that space of struggle. When you do so, you help them separate themselves from the struggle and move forward.
We encourage regular team connections, whether it’s through daily huddles and/or a weekly team meeting. Ask everyone to share their human check-in (how are you feeling at this moment?) and celebrate one thing they accomplished that day. This practice will build confidence and remind them the work is getting done (even though it may not always feel like it).
Asking questions is one of the best ways to build connection and trust, and to help keep your team calm and on track during this season. These questions will help your team members feel more seen and supported when things get hard (they are from our workshop, Unlocking the Magic: The Secret to Creating Teams that Flourish):
- How are you seeing this situation?
- How do you feel about this?
- What would help?
- How is this impacting you?
- What do you most want/need right now?
- What resources do you need to move forward?
- How can I best support you?
We also recommend asking for help when you need it. It’s one of the most powerful tools for showing your team that no one is meant to do it alone. By asking for help when you need it, you give others permission to do the same .
Are you ready to help lead your teams with more empathy? Let’s connect.
How do I create a healthy culture when I’m just one person?
As a leader, you are more powerful than you know. People are looking to you in more ways than you realize.
Be more transparent about what you’re doing for yourself. Share the practices we offered last month. When you choose not to keep your own process, struggles, and achievements a secret, and instead share them with an attitude of, “Here’s what I’m doing for myself,” it changes the environment around you.
It invites curiosity and vulnerability.
It models new behaviors and gives others permission to do the same.
Change is made through a gradual ripple effect, when people connect with one another and lift each other up, one moment at a time.
The best way to shift the culture is by working on yourself and sharing that with others.
If you’re a curious improver who wants support in creating a healthier culture through this stressful busy season, we can help. Let’s connect.
