How to lead a team effectively: wellbeing works

Imagine that you could go inside the boardrooms of some of the top fashion & luxury brands in the world. Think about all the pointers you could pick up for your own career. What would you look for? Would you want to know how they set up their schedules? How they set themselves up for success? How they motivate and inspire their people? Why their teams are so committed?

If you were a fly on the wall in their businesses, you’d likely see that every employee knows the part that they play in the brand’s success. But you’d also be able to sense if people felt supported and looked after. You’d notice if they felt confident about their skills and proud of their work.

Wellbeing expert and fashion veteran Gret Betchelar is founder of Conscious Working. She partners with leaders and businesses to embed wellbeing and its benefits in the workplace – be it physical or virtual. She believes that when people feel well, they excel…and do better in business too.

In today’s post, Gret reveals three fundamental strategies to help you use wellbeing as a core value when leading and inspiring your people.

1. Take a bottom-up approach

If you want to put wellbeing at the heart of your business, you’re going to need to involve your people. Ask them what they want to see, and really listen to what they have to say. When you give them the space to share their thoughts, they’ll likely share some useful recommendations.

So, instead of making assumptions, why not take the time to ask your teams what they really need right now? This will help you to see the pain points that need addressing, the areas where people feel supported and the steps where they may need more guidance. It might make the planning process a little longer, but you’ll save invaluable time and investment over the long term.

2. Lead by example

How many times have you seen a company implement a people programme that’s not fully backed by senior leadership? When that happens, everything falls apart pretty quickly. All the time, money and good intentions that were put into the project start to melt away. What’s more, the team on the ground feel unimportant.

For any programme to be successful, it needs to be supported from the top down. That means everything from actively engaging in wellbeing practices and communicating your work-life struggles. This will create a human dynamic that draws people together, strengthening teams and boosting committment.

3. Be still for a moment

While there are so many good initiatives out there, my favourite has to be stillness. The art of meditation and mindfulness is backed by a whole host of scientists and researchers. It brings a whole range of benefits:

• Regular meditators are happier than the average person
• They have longer and healthier lives
• They have better and more fulfilling relationships
• They experience less anxiety, depression and irritability
• They are less stressed
• They have stronger immune system

So let’s put it into practice, even in the small things. Make space for your teams to have some stillness in their day. Encourage them to take a bit of time for themselves, so they can contemplate and create. Sometimes, we’re so busy doing that we forget to be. When we make space for this, we’ll surprise ourselves with the ideas that we come up with.

Gret Betchelar is founder of Conscious Working. She’s currently offering Dweet members complimentary 30-minute discovery calls for corporate leaders to discuss their business, team structure, working environment as well as current challenges and goals for the future. Get in touch on conscious@consiousworking.co to start the conversation.
workplace wellbeing.