Is Your Team Overwhelmed? Here’s How to Help

I don’t have to tell you how stressful the past few years have been. As we developed our most recent white paper, “Managers Under Pressure,” we found research showing that all of this cumulative stress has taken a toll. Performance and morale are suffering. Employee engagement is at a seven-year low, which Gallup calls “one of the biggest threats to organizations and entire economies” in 2023. On top of that, more than 40% of professionals report feeling burned out at work. 

Photo by Vlada Karpovich

With your energy tank running on empty, you may find that you and your team members may feel more overwhelmed in the face of challenges — such as a major project or an organizational change — than you did in the past. 

Finding both short and long-term solutions is critical. 

Let’s start by taking a look at some quick ways to get yourself on track —three questions to ask your team and yourself.

1. Are you focusing on the right work?

When things feel chaotic and you are strapped for time, it’s even more critical to focus on where you can have the biggest impact on the business and your career. Challenge yourself to identify the top three areas and the percentage of time you should allocate to each. Use this to guide what you say “yes” and “no” to. With only so many hours in each day, remember that making the highest and best use of your talent and skills will help you deliver more in less time. And remember to strategically leverage others to free up your capacity. 

2. Do you create space to be strategic?

High performers know that they can’t simply react to what’s going on around them and still deliver consistently strong results. Being strategic and intentional about what they say and do is key. When things get hectic, how consistently do you carve out time on your calendar to reflect so that you can do just that? Don’t underestimate the importance of this strategy in keeping you focused on the bigger picture. Even setting aside 15 minutes a week can help you be much more proactive.

3. Are you getting enough rest?

Maintaining your energy during demanding times can be the difference between thriving and surviving. When people work long hours, they may not get the rest or sleep they need. Both are foundational to giving you the energy to maintain a positive attitude, outlook, and perspective and the ability to make good decisions. If you don’t get 7-8 hours of sleep a night or take short breaks throughout the day, what one step can you take to address this? It can be as simple as taking some deep breaths, walking away from your desk, or going to bed 15 minutes earlier.

With a longer-term view in mind, remember to also look for ways to help you and your team put sustainable practices in place.  Through thousands of hours coaching leaders, we’ve seen where individuals get stuck time and again and the strategies that can really help them move forward. That led us to make this content available through our award-winning New Lens® app. But it goes way beyond content, to help you take action with the support of cohorts and managers. We’d love to show it to you. Let us know if you’d like to see a demo.

Are You Tired of Being Strong?

Over the years, people have consistently told me how strong I am. It’s always left me wondering, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Well, let’s just say it’s a mixed bag. Being strong and capable has served me well but, at times, has been a huge point of frustration. Today I want to share a little of my personal journey because I know some of you strong, reliable, “never-let-a-ball-drop” women may be going through something similar. 

Photo by Heather Ford on Unsplash

On the positive side, being strong and capable has helped me work through tough situations, take risks, go for what matters to me and show that I bring something valuable to the table. On the negative side, I regularly feel the weight of life and the fatigue that comes with always being strong and being the person that everyone can count on.  

Wouldn’t it be nice if life were a bit easier?  

Well, I’ve decided that it has to be easier. So I’ve been working to better understand my own role in creating this situation. 

My biggest epiphany was realizing how much I have been tolerating for years, without anyone really knowing that I have been – including me. It’s amazing the insight you gain when you truly start opening yourself up to the possibility that there’s something you really need to see, learn or do differently to move forward.  

As I began to seek new information, I noticed my recurring fatigue and pain. This led me to ask, “What am I missing? What do I need to learn?” From these questions, I began to see the physical and emotional signs that I had been ignoring for years. Maybe you have some, too? 

Whether you realize it or not, these signs hold invaluable insight. What chronic or recurring aches and pains do you have in your body, whether it’s back pain, headaches or something from an injury? How often do you find yourself surprised by the magnitude of your reaction to certain types of situations? The signs are all around us, but are you noticing or ignoring yours? And what are they telling you?

As I started on this journey, I enrolled in a somatic coaching class. This type of coaching is all about giving you access to your full intelligence — intellectual, emotional and physical. In Western society, we often over-emphasize intellect and ignore the rest. So I want to encourage you to get in tune with your body. It holds more wisdom than you realize. Somatic coaching has been very powerful for me personally and as I help others move past roadblocks with this approach.

For those of you running around out there in back-to-back meetings or activities in the flurry of life, start by just taking five minutes a day to simply pause and notice. How are you feeling emotionally? How does your body feel? Where does it hurt? What does all of this tell you? What do you need right now?

For me, guided meditations have become a good way to reflect. As a very physically active person, taking the traditional approach to meditation by sitting still was really hard. So I had to start by doing it my way – listening while I’m running outside. That approach has worked well, but I have also come to realize the power of just being and breathing. I don’t meditate that way very often but when I do, it’s powerful. Today was one of those days. 

Here are the words that came up for me in the silence. I think they may resonate with you:

Lighten the load.

Let go of the burden.

You are loved and cared for anyway.

Bring playfulness back into your life.

Just play.

Enjoy life.

So, today, I want to challenge all of you women running around out there over-delivering and wondering how you can keep this up, or if you even want to. Yes, I’m talking to those of you who are taking care of everyone else before you take care of yourself or tolerating less than you deserve. Lighten your load. Do something for yourself today. You deserve it. Nothing is going to fall apart. You’ve already made sure of that.

And I’m right here in your corner, cheering you on.

To Prevent Burnout, Do a Midyear Check-in

Can you believe we are already halfway through 2022? We’ve all been navigating a lot of change for a couple of years now, and that change shows no signs of slowing down.

That means it’s more important than ever to work mindfully and to take care of yourself. When you’re always charging full steam ahead, you’re risking burnout.

Photo by Anna Shvets

So let’s pause for a moment so you can check in with yourself and recalibrate. If you’re a regular reader, you know that I always recommend doing this at the end of each year. But in the intense work environment we’re currently experiencing, a lot may have changed for you in these past six months. And you may need to shift your game plan from the one you started the year with. The following questions can help you assess the best way forward.

Where Are You Right Now?

Sometimes it’s hard to look up from your daily responsibilities to see the big picture at work — or even how you are doing yourself. But you’ll be more productive if you can catch your breath for a moment and take a look around and within. 

First, how have the company’s priorities changed since the start of the year, and what does that mean for how you should spend your time? For example, if your company’s top leaders are prioritizing employee engagement, how does that affect the way you manage your own team?

Next, what changes have you personally experienced in the past few months — for example, going back to work in the office — and how have they affected your stress level? Remember that your executive presence is tightly linked to your internal wellbeing. In other words, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed will make it tough to exude a calm and confident demeanor that is so important for leaders to show right now.

What Do You Want to Take Forward?

Even if this has been a difficult year so far, notice what has worked well. What have you accomplished and what strategies made the biggest difference in achieving those results? It’s too easy to overlook your personal best practices if you’re moving quickly from one thing to the next. But when you pause, you can identify and leverage them to create positive momentum.

Here are a few examples to spark your own thinking:

• Regularly scheduling time to connect with people who give you energy.

• Getting involved in projects that develop your skills and leverage your strengths

• Engaging in activities that are fulfilling.

• Delegating at home and at work.

What Do You Want to Leave Behind?

Now let’s look at the other side of the coin: the challenges of 2022. What are the top two challenges you have faced and what have they taught you? For example, was there a type of situation you don’t want to find yourself in again, a behavior you want to change or emotional baggage you want to leave behind? 

A good way to distill meaning from challenging situations or roadblocks is to write a thank-you note (for your eyes only) to the difficult person or experience. By doing this, it will force you to reframe the negative aspects of the situation into positive lessons. 

What Do You Need to Do for Yourself?

You may have a to-do list that is a mile long, but how often do you make it onto your own list of priorities? Take a moment to identify what you need right now. If you honestly don’t know, getting more rest may be a good starting point. Other ideas could be:

• A longer break

• Regular exercise

• A flexible work schedule

• A new challenge or opportunity

Based on your answers to these questions, identify one small step you will take to set the tone for the second half of 2022. I also want to invite you to invest in your own growth and wellbeing with Newberry Solutions’ products and services, including the award-winning New Lens app.

Retain Women Amid ‘the Great Resignation’

I’ve written before about “the Great Resignation” — the record number of people who have been leaving their jobs this year. Now we’re seeing more and more headlines that women are driving this phenomenon.

Photo by Alexander Suhorucov from Pexels

The Women in the Workplace 2021 report from McKinsey & Company and Lean In highlighted the growing crisis:

One in three women says that they have considered downshifting their career or leaving the workforce this year, compared with one in four who said this a few months into the pandemic. Additionally, four in ten women have considered leaving their company or switching jobs—and high employee turnover in recent months suggests that many of them are following through. … The risk to women, and to the companies that depend on their contributions, remains very real.

As we look toward the new year, I wanted to share some ideas about how organizations can turn this situation around in 2022. Hopefully, you’ll find at least one strategy on this list that you can bring to your own workplace.

Offer More Flexibility

Remote work and flexible schedules skyrocketed during the pandemic. Now some companies, including tech giants, are making those changes permanent. For example, Microsoft now allows employees to work from anywhere for half of their work week, and even 100% remotely with manager approval.

Flexibility is especially important to women. That makes sense, considering that women make up 75% of caregivers. However, simply offering remote or hybrid work options is not a cure-all when it comes to retaining women. Such changes must be implemented thoughtfully to ensure that women who are working remotely are not penalized for being less visible at the office

Promote Mentorship and Sponsorship

Understandably, women are leaving their jobs when they don’t see opportunities for advancement. And one reason that women don’t move up the ladder at the same rate as men do is that men are sponsored more often. 

What’s the difference between a mentor and a sponsor? While both provide valuable career advice, sponsors also connect you to opportunities and advocate for you.

A program that connects women to mentors and sponsors sends a powerful message. That’s what companies like HERE Technologies have found.

Emphasize Wellbeing

During the pandemic, more organizations began to embrace the idea that employee wellbeing isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s essential for sustainable success. Because women are more stressed and burned out than men are, wellbeing initiatives are a powerful tool for retaining women employees. 

Your company can support employees by offering wellness subsidies, as Deloitte and DocuSign do. Or you could help employees access mental health services, as Starbucks and Target do.

Resources You Can Use

At Newberry Executive Solutions, our focus is providing resources that organizations can use to engage and retain the women leaders that are so crucial to their future. As your company makes plans for 2022, I invite you to explore our programs, books, New Lens app and other offerings that can help you invest in women.

The Great Resignation: How Leaders Can Respond

The headlines just keep coming about a phenomenon that’s being called “the Great Resignation.” A record number of Americans have been quitting their jobs. In August alone, the number was 4.3 million. With this trend showing no signs of reversing anytime soon, what can you do as a leader to retain employees in your organization?

Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels

Why Are So Many People Quitting?

First, it’s important to understand what’s driving this wave of resignations. The reasons vary across different fields. But there are a few common themes among professionals:

• Necessity. Childcare has long been expensive and, in some regions, scarce. But now the field is experiencing its own labor shortage, which makes it even harder for families to find workable options. As a result, some moms are forced out of the job market.

• Burnout. According to the Women in the Workplace 2021 report from McKinsey & Company and Lean In, 42% of women often or almost always feel burned out. 

• Flexibility. Many of us got used to working from home and having more autonomy to control our own schedules during the pandemic. Now some professionals would rather quit than return to the office full time.

• Changing values. The pandemic has made us take a new look at what’s really important to us. That’s led some people to shift their focus away from work and seek new careers that offer them more balance and meaning.

How to Improve Retention

So what should leaders do to retain employees amid these rapid changes in the work environment?

• Adapt and evolve. We aren’t going “back to normal.” The pandemic-driven changes in how we work are here to stay. To retain employees (and recruit new ones), organizations must embrace this new reality and update their policies on things like flexible schedules and working from home. 

• Focus on results. As a leader, as much as you have autonomy to, emphasize outcomes instead of processes. In other words, evaluate your team members on what they accomplish vs. when or where they do their work.

• Prioritize well-being. This was one of the three key recommendations from the Women in the Workplace report. Promoting well-being goes beyond offering flexible schedules. It also involves understanding what else employees really need to honor both their professional and personal priorities, whether that’s a childcare stipend or quarterly mental health days.

• Collaborate, align and adjust. The solutions that will most improve retention are those that you develop with your employees to address both their needs and your organization’s. This isn’t a situation you can address once and then consider everything solved for good. Instead, check in with your team members regularly to see what’s changed for them and how their work arrangements need to change in response.

As you lead during these challenging times, products and services from Newberry Executive Solutions are a great way to support yourself and others. You can learn how to bring out the best in your team and stay centered yourself, even amid constant change.

Share Your Ideas

“One in three women says that they have considered downshifting their career or leaving the workforce this year, compared with one in four who said this a few months into the pandemic. Additionally, four in ten women have considered leaving their company or switching jobs—and high employee turnover in recent months suggests that many of them are following through. … The risk to women, and to the companies that depend on their contributions, remains very real.”

-Women in the Workplace 2021

How can companies hold on to their female employees? In an upcoming article, I’ll be sharing examples of strategies that work. And I’d love to hear from you about what’s happening at your organization. Drop by my LinkedIn page to share your ideas and join the discussion.